It is among the most international of sports, but countries have had to look inwardly in order to restart the action
On Thursday afternoon in Minsk, elite international athletes returned to competition. Two Belarusians kicked
Tennis off as the world No 11, Aryna Sabalenka, and the No 50, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, took to the court. Even in Belarus, where the country has relentlessly carried on as much of the world around it has come to a halt, the scene underlined the new normal.
The pair humbled themselves to picking up their own balls and their stage was a small indoor hard court lined with one linesman per side and a handful of spectators. After Sabalenka sealed the victory, the two
Friends were not allowed to embrace. They tapped the other’s racquet and Sabalenka blew a kiss. They laughed.