Iga SVENTEK: “I don’t know if I could play if I were the Ukrainians”

After the tournament, Roland Garros winner Iga Sventek expressed her opinion on the situation by constantly asking the Belarusian representative Arina Sabolenko at press conferences about the war in Ukraine.

– The tournament is over and now you probably have time to draw attention to the situation in the world. I don’t know how much you know, but during the tournament there were some disagreements with Arina Sobolenko and the questions asked of her and other things. I wonder how many of these moments you get in your bubble while in Grand Slam tournament mode? And have you had a chance to think about it? Can you share your opinion with us?

I’m staying in my bubble. To be honest, all I do is prepare for your questions and show my moral principles. That’s why I prepare for this before press conferences. But I don’t use social media and I don’t read much. To be honest, sometimes I wouldn’t even know about these things if I hadn’t taken instructions from my PR team.

I know this may seem strange as I need to be aware of what’s going on, but it’s the best way to keep me focused and doing my job properly. After tournaments, like you said, I always have time to get things done. Of course I heard what happened here.

– Could you share your opinion with us?

– All I can say is to reiterate my words and opinion that as the tennis community we should stand together and do everything possible to stop Russian aggression.

I support all Ukrainians because I know their situation is not easy. If I were them, I honestly don’t know if I could compete. That’s why I respect them so much and want to focus on doing what’s right for them.