2023-07-14 12:54:00
Aryna Sabalenka (2nd WTA) was one of the favorites to triumph in Wimbledon. In the first five matches, she lost only one set and was the favorite of the semi-final with Ons Jabeur (6th WTA). In it, she was only two games away from winning, but in the end she lost 7-6, 4-6, 3-6.
Watch the video Confusion with Sabalenka. “Questions from a Ukrainian woman experienced much stronger”
Aryna Sabalenka has been eliminated from Wimbledon. Kate Middleton won’t have to hand her the trophy
For the 25-year-old, it was a return to the London courts after a two-year break. Last year, the organizers did not allow players from Russia and Belarus to play. In this, they allowed them to enter the competition, but on the condition that they sign a statement opposing the actions of the Russian and Belarusian authorities that ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
A possible Sabalenka victory could prove problematic. This is because in the past she publicly supported Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus. In the event that she won the tournament, she would receive the trophy from Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. These pictures could later be used by the regime’s propaganda.
The British comment on the defeat of Aryna Sabalenka. “Princess of Wales Rescued”
The British media, which drew attention to this issue, wrote about the defeat of the vice-leader in the WTA ranking. “Ons Jabeur won the Wimbledon final again and helped Duchess Kate avoid an unwelcome encounter. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka, which means the Duchess will not have to present the Venus Rosewater Dish to someone whose country supports Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine,” we read in The Mirror.
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The Daily Mail commented on the matter in a similar vein. “Duchess Kate avoided being put in an awkward position in the Wimbledon final. Ons Jabeur escaped from the abyss and, after defeating Aryna Sabalenka, reached the Wimbledon final, saving the British monarchy a major diplomatic headache,” wrote the Daily Express. The Princess of Wales has been saved from having to hand over the Wimbledon trophy to a Belarusian player linked to a key supporter of the war in Ukraine.
With Sabalenka’s departure, there is still the possibility that Duchess Kate will have to present the trophy to a competitor from Russia. Daniil Medvedev (3rd ATP) is still in the game, but in his case the situation is a bit different. This is because he has never so openly declared his support for Vladimir Putin, and after the outbreak of war he did not object to having to run under a neutral flag.
His attitude did not appeal to the Russian MP Roman Teriuszkov, who criticized him after last year’s triumph in the tournament in Los Cabos. “Congratulations on a well-deserved victory. Like most Russians, I did not watch this match. After he took down the Russian flag at the request of the West, he ceased to interest me and our society. (…) If he lives in France and probably has citizenship of a country officially recognized by Moscow too unfriendly, it would probably be more correct to write “French tennis player of Russian descent,” he wrote on social media.
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