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"I Don't Support The War": Belarus Star Aryna Sabalenka After Reaching French Open Semi-finals

Belarus tennis star Aryna Sabalenka outrightly condemned her country's role in the war in Ukraine on Tuesday and insisted she is not a supporter of president Alexander Lukashenko. "I'm not supporting the war, meaning I don't support Lukashenko right now," the world number two said after reaching the French Open semi-finals by defeating Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

The 25-year-old had come under increasing pressure to distance herself from her close relationship with Lukashenko, a key military ally of Moscow in the ongoing conflict. "We played a lot of Fed Cups in Belarus. He (Lukashenko) was in our matches taking pictures with us after the match. But nothing bad was happening that time in Belarus or in Ukraine or in Russia," she told reporters.

Sabalenka had cancelled two previous press conferences at Roland Garros, claiming she didn't feel "safe" after facing a barrage of questions over her links to her country's strongman leader. As Australian Open champion and potential world number one after the French Open, she was urged by Ukraine rivals to use her platform to individually stand up against the war.

"I don't want my country to be involved in any conflict. I said it many times. You have my position. You have my answer," she said. "I don't want sport to be involved in politics, because I'm just a 25-year-old tennis player."

Sabalenka has had close associations with Lukashenko in the past. In 2018, she requested a one-to-one meeting with him, according to Belarusian state news agency Belta.

The following year, in an interview with the country's largest independent news site Tut.by -- since shuttered following a brutal crackdown after historic demonstrations against Lukashenko -- she spoke glowingly of the Belarusian

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