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Why Aryna Sabalenka doesn't have Belarus flag next to her name at French Open
The absence of Belarusian flag next to Aryna Sabalenka's name at the French Open has drawn attention. Instead, a plain blue rectangle appeared in its place.
Aryna Sabalenka is currently facing Coco Gauff in the women’s singles final at the French Open, held at Roland Garros in Paris, France. The Belarusian claimed the opening set 7-6 after a tightly contested battle lasting an hour and 20 minutes. However, what drew significant attention wasn’t just her performance. It was the absence of the Belarusian flag next to her name. Instead, a plain blue rectangle appeared in its place.
Why Aryna Sabalenka doesn't have Belarus flag next to her name?
This marks the third consecutive year that players from Russia and Belarus have been prohibited from competing under their national flags at Grand Slam events, a policy that was implemented in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, remains subject to these sanctions.
Until 2022, Sabalenka had competed under Belarusian colors. That changed following the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and the Belarusian Tennis Federation (BTF) from ITF membership and participation in all ITF-organized events. This included the four Grand Slams and major team competitions like the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.
"The International Tennis Federation (ITF) condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its facilitation by Belarus," ITF wrote in its statement in March 2022. "In addition to the cancellation of all ITF events in those countries, the ITF Board has today announced the immediate suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Belarus Tennis Federation (BTF) from ITF membership and from participation in ITF international team competition until further notice."
Shortly afterward, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) barred Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon in 2022. As a result, Sabalenka was forced to miss the tournament that year.
In response to the sanctions, Sabalenka told The Age in 2022: “I'm just really disappointed that sports are somehow in politics. We're just athletes playing our sport. That's it. We're not about politics. If all of us could do something [about the war], we would do it, but we have zero control.”
