Aryna Sabalenka is taking on Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the 2025 US Open, two wins away from defending her title at Flushing Meadows. The No. 1 seed, Sabalenka is looking to win her first Grand Slam this year.
Fans watching the match on TV might notice that Sabalenka does not have a flag next to her name, while Pegula proudly flaunts the Star-spangled banner of the USA. This is because she is from Belarus, a country whose athletes have been banned, along with Russia, to display their national flag next to their name.
In 2022, Russia, with the support of Belarus, launched an invasion of Ukraine, which remains a conflict till date. As a result, the country was penalized by global sports bodies, and cannot represent their national interests anymore. That year, tennis players were also banned from Wimbledon, a controversial decision that impacted the sport.
Sabalenka was born in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in May 1998. However, she continues to reside in the USA for the most part, where she does her training in Miami, Florida. The Belarusian has three Grand Slam titles to her name — two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
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