Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka apologizes for outburst during loss to Elina Svitolina

Aryna Sabalenka apologised after swearing during her defeat by Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals, after footage prompted some viewers to believe her remarks targeted Svitolina or Ukrainians. Sabalenka said she was reacting to spectators cheering her mistakes, not addressing her opponent, and acknowledged she should have handled her frustration differently.

The Friday round-robin loss eliminated Sabalenka from the tournament. Svitolina, who does not shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, called for mutual respect and said she had also faced inappropriate comments about the war. She beat Linda Noskova in the semi-final and was due to meet Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Sunday’s final.