World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is moving strongly through the Indian Wells Open 2026. On Thursday night, she defeated Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko in the quarterfinals and secured a place in the semifinals. While her powerful performance grabbed attention, many fans watching the tournament noticed something unusual on the scoreboard.
There was no national flag next to Sabalenka’s name. Normally, tennis scoreboards display a player’s country flag beside their name. But in Sabalenka’s case, the space remains blank. This has led many viewers to ask the same question during Indian Wells 2026: why is the Belarusian star competing without a national flag beside her name?
Why Aryna Sabalenka plays without the Belarus flag at Indian Wells 2026 despite being the World No. 1
Aryna Sabalenka was born on May 5, 1998, in Minsk, Belarus. She represents Belarus by nationality and grew up in the country before becoming one of the strongest players on the women’s tennis tour.
Her father, Sergey Sabalenka, played a big role in introducing her to tennis. Sadly, he passed away in 2019 after suffering from meningitis at the age of 43. Sabalenka has often said that her father was her biggest motivation in the sport. Her mother, Yulia Sabalenka, still travels to many tournaments and is often seen supporting her from the stands.
Despite being from Belarus, Sabalenka’s national flag has not appeared next to her name in many tournaments since 2022.
The reason comes from decisions taken by international tennis governing bodies after the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022.
On March 1, 2022, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that both the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation were suspended from ITF membership and team competitions. Because Belarus supported Russia during the conflict, the ITF said the federations would not participate in international team events until further notice.
However, players from both countries were still allowed to compete in tournaments as neutral athletes. This means they can play on the WTA and ATP tours, but their national flags are removed from scoreboards and official tournament graphics.
The situation also created tension on court. Some Ukrainian players have refused the traditional handshake with Russian or Belarusian opponents after matches.
One example happened earlier this year when Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine did not shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka after their match at the Brisbane International final. After winning the title, Sabalenka was asked about the situation.
She responded calmly and said, “It’s their position. What can I do? I don’t mind that. I don’t care about that. When I go into the match, it’s all about tennis and sport.”
Sabalenka also shared her personal view about the war during the 2023 French Open press conference. She said, “No one in this world, Russian or Belarusian athletes, supports the war. Nobody. If we could stop it, we would, but it’s not in our hands.”
For now, Sabalenka continues to compete as a neutral player at major tournaments. At Indian Wells 2026, she is preparing for the semifinal against Linda Nosková, while the other semifinal will feature Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina.
!.
