Aryna Sabalenka opted out of a post-match press conference after her third-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday following a number of tense exchanges with a Ukrainian reporter about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after previous rounds here.
Players are required to attend post-match press conferences if they are requested by written media, but no time was announced for Sabalenka after she had beaten Rakhimova 6-2, 6-2. Instead, a transcript of her conversation with an unnamed member of staff was released without explanation. It is unclear whether Sabalenka was interviewed by a group of people or only one person.
