Azarenka is from Belarus and is playing Wimbledon without a flag
Tennis star Victoria Azarenka defeated Yue Yuan in her first-round matchup at Wimbledon on Monday in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; and she is set to take on Nadia Podoroska in the second round on Wednesday.
However, things got a little tense for Azarenka in her post-match interview. Azarenka is participating without the flag of her home country of Belarus because of the nation’s involvement in Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, and she was asked about her treatment by the fans in her first match.
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“Just like I never left, honestly. It feels good to be playing here,” she said. “For me, personally, I experienced very good treatment… Today, to hear people say, ‘Let’s go, Vika!’ and cheering me on was also why I play, to play in front of the crowd, to put on a good show.”
Then came the tense moment.
A reporter asked Azarenka what Wimbledon meant to Russia, according to news.au.com.
“You do know I’m not from Russia, right?” Azarenka said.
The reporter acknowledged Azarenka and followed up asking, “Just in terms of being on tour, at all, is that something that you have become aware of if it’s significant?”
Azarenka replied that the reporter would have to be more direct as she was not really understanding the question. The reporter tried to clarify, asking how big she saw the tournament on an international level.
“You have obviously played in Russia in the past. How significant do you feel the tournament is?” the reporter said.
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Azarenka tried to ask for more clarification, asking whether the reporter meant how Wimbledon is seen on the international stage or what the Grand Slam event meant to her. The reporter said that they actually meant “international stage and just being on tour. It’s just a question we were asking around its impact in Russia” given that this was the first time Russian players were allowed back into the tournament since the war began.
“I think on the international stage, Wimbledon is undoubtedly one of the biggest tennis events, and it’s always been. So it’s iconic. It’s ironic,” she said. “How it is in Russia? I’m not from Russia. I can’t really tell you how it feels in Russia.”
Azarenka boasts two Grand Slam titles on her record, clinching consecutive victories at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. While she has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012, she has yet to achieve her best finish at the tournament.