In her statement, the Belarusian explained: “I was frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment.”She acknowledged that her behaviour fell short of acceptable standards, writing: “I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologise to anyone offended.” Sabalenka also praised her opponent’s performance, saying Svitolina had delivered an excellent match, and extended her best wishes for the remainder of the tournament.The exchange comes against the backdrop of a well-established stance by Ukrainian players, who refuse to shake hands with or pose for pre-match photographs alongside Russian and Belarusian competitors owing to the ongoing invasion of their country.