Aryna Sabalenka apologises for swearing, clarifies she did not insult Elina Svitolina

Aryna Sabalenka apologised for swearing during her WTA Finals defeat to Elina Svitolina, clarifying that her comments were directed at spectators and not the Ukrainian player. While Sabalenka exited the tournament, Svitolina reached the final after beating Linda Noskova and will face Mirra Andreeva.Aryna Sabalenka clarifies she did not insult Elina Svitolina. Courtesy: AP/AFPNew Delhi,Nov 15, 2026 16:23 ISTAryna Sabalenka has apologised for her angry outburst during her defeat to Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals, clarifying that her comments were directed at spectators and not the Ukrainian tennis star. The Belarusian's reaction sparked controversy after a video of her swearing in Russian during their round-robin clash went viral on social media.Sabalenka, who lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to Svitolina on Friday, was seen angrily gesturing and swearing after becoming frustrated during the contest. Some commentators interpreted her remarks as an insult directed at Svitolina or Ukrainians in general.“Those f***ing Ukrainians, for f***’s sake!” Or was it “That f***ing Ukrainian b***h, for f***’s sake!”? These are the words Aryna Sabalenka appears to be saying in Russian, judging by her lip movements during her WTA Finals match against Elina Svitolina. What a remarkable display of respect and sportsmanship from the world No. 2. But sure, let's keep asking Ukrainian players why they refuse to shake hands with their Russian and Belarusian opponents. Apparently, that's still the bigger problem in tennis.— Ukrainian Tennis BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) November 14, 2026However, the world number two took to social media on Saturday to explain her reaction and apologise to those who may have been offended.Also Read: With Australian Open 2027 in sight, Jannik Sinner targets late-December return to court "I want to clarify something from my recent match that has been circulating online. My comment was not directed at Elina. I was frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment," Sabalenka wrote."That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologise to anyone I offended. Elina played a great match, and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament," she added. Courtesy: Aryna Sabalenka Instagram SABALENKA, SVITOLINA'S CONTRASTING CAMPAIGNSThe defeat proved costly for Sabalenka, who bowed out of the tournament after finishing her group-stage campaign with one win and two losses. She had started with a victory over Karolina Muchova but suffered a straight-set defeat to Mirra Andreeva before losing to Svitolina.Svitolina, meanwhile, bounced back from her opening defeat to Andreeva by beating Muchova and Sabalenka to secure a semi-final berth. The Ukrainian carried that momentum into the last four, defeating Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-1 to book her place in the final.The post-match incident also attracted attention because Svitolina has maintained her stance of not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian players following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Svitolina will now face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Sunday's final as she looks to cap her impressive campaign with the WTA Finals title.- Ends