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Aryna Sabalenka has spoken up about why she has stuck to representing Belarus despite having the option to switch nationalities. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, in which Belarus threw its weight behind Russia, the ITF has prohibited players from those two countries from playing under their nation's flags.
Athletes, and the general populace as well, from those countries have faced considerable hurdles due to various sanctions on them due to the actions of their government. When it comes to tennis, the likes of Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia Potapova, and Kamilla Rakhimova, among others, have given up their Russian citizenship in recent times.
Considering Sabalenka's achievements, any country would welcome her with open arms. However, the thought of defecting never crossed her mind. She touched upon this during her recent interview with Piers Morgan on his show, Piers Morgan Uncensored.
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Sabalenka stated that she is proud of her roots, and takes the responsibility of being a role model to the Belarusian youth quite seriously. Giving up her citizenship would set a bad precedent for the young ones.
"Well, listen, I always been really proud to represent such small country and I take it as you know, I'm an inspiration for the young kids there and, for example, changing my nationality, it's not the case for me. Because I don't want to betray all the kids," Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka has cemented her position as one of the tennis greats. She feels that if she can achieve this in spite of her humble background, the kids from her country can also dream of doing the same.
"So I would like to represent Belarus just just for the kids from that country to see me, competing on a high level and get inspired by me and hopefully by my example I'll show them that if I was able to make it from that country, from that little country in the world, make it all the way to the top, I want them to think that they also can do that," she added.
Sabalenka hasn't played under the Belarusian flag for over three years now. She couldn't take part in Wimbledon 2022 due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players. Players from those two countries have been barred from team events as well. Coincidentally, Sabalenka rose to prominence following her heroics at the Billie Jean King Cup in 2017.
Aryna Sabalenka led Belarus to its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup final in 2017
Victoria Azarenka and Natasha Zvereva achieved a lot in their careers. However, they could never attain the same success while representing Belarus in the Billie Jean King Cup. However, that changed with the arrival of Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka led Belarus to its maiden Billie Jean King Cup final in 2017. They were the underdogs throughout the tournament, and the unheralded Sabalenka, along with Aliaksandra Sasnovich, announced their arrival on the big stage in style.
They upset the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, and followed it up with a win over Switzerland in the semifinals. They were up against the US in the final, and lost to them 3-2. This set the stage for Sabalenka's breakthrough in 2018, claiming her maiden WTA 1000 title and reaching the fourth round of the US Open.
