Sabalenka apologises for WTA Finals outburst and denies targeting Svitolina

Aryna Sabalenka apologised on Saturday after footage of an angry outburst during her WTA Finals defeat by Elina Svitolina circulated online, while denying that her remarks targeted the Ukrainian player. BBC Sport reported that the Belarusian world number two said she had reacted to spectators celebrating her errors, rather than to her opponent.

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The video showed Sabalenka gesturing and swearing in Russian during the match, according to the BBC. Some people commenting on the footage interpreted her words as an insult aimed at Svitolina or Ukrainians more broadly. Sabalenka disputed that interpretation in her subsequent statement, offering her own account of what had prompted her reaction on court.

AFP reported that Sabalenka issued the explanation on Instagram following Friday's defeat in Indian Wells. She said a small group of spectators had been aggressively cheering her mistakes and that she had responded emotionally. She also acknowledged that she should have managed her frustration differently and apologised to anyone she had offended.

Sabalenka's statement included praise for Svitolina's performance and good wishes for the rest of her tournament. The controversy comes against the background of Ukrainian players' long-standing refusal to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The BBC reported that the policy also extends to pre-match photographs; AFP noted that Svitolina has maintained her handshake stance since the invasion in 2022.

On court, Svitolina won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, a result that eliminated the four-time Grand Slam champion. The WTA's official report recorded six converted break points from eight opportunities for Svitolina. She finished the group stage with two wins and one loss, taking second place in Group 2 and earning a place in the semifinals.

The WTA said the victory ended Svitolina's five-match losing run against Sabalenka and was her first win in their rivalry since Strasbourg in 2020. It was also her first hard-court victory over the Belarusian. The 2018 WTA Finals champion was competing at the season-ending event for the first time since 2019 and recovered from an opening defeat to Mirra Andreeva to progress from the group.