'Let the dogs in': Sabalenka wants Wimbledon to lift ban / Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS - AFP
'Let the dogs in': Sabalenka wants Wimbledon to lift ban
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has pleaded with Wimbledon organisers to end their ban on players bringing dogs to the All England Club.
Players were allowed to take their dogs into the recent French Open, but Sabalenka has been unable to bring her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Ash onto the grounds of the grass-court Grand Slam.
Marta Kostyuk, Anastasia Potapova, Anna Kalinskaya and Hailey Baptiste were among the other players who were accompanied by their dogs at Roland Garros.
But Sabalenka's pet has had to stay at home this fortnight with Wimbledon sticking to its strict no-dogs policy.
Calling for All England Club to ditch their ban on pooches, Sabalenka said: "I don't agree with that. Obviously if the dog does something 'wrong' inside of this historical place, it's probably going to take a bit of time to replace. They're probably afraid of damages inside.
"I have to say all of our dogs are very well-trained. They're not going to do anything wrong inside of this beautiful building. We have to change that."
Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton confirmed before the tournament that the only dogs permitted on site are service dogs and security dogs.
Yet despite the potential threat to the grass courts, Sabalenka wants Ash and his fellow dogs to be allowed in.
- 'A sort of mediation for me' -
"It just sometimes hurts to leave him at the house by himself. He really gets attached a lot. But he suffers staying alone. It really hurts my feelings," the four-time Grand Slam champion said after beating McCartney Kessler in the second round on Wednesday.
"It's just like a little fluffy thing that always wants cuddles and love. Going to the park with him, walking around, is also like some sort of meditation for me.
"Wimbledon, please, I beg you, let the dogs inside!"
At the risk of stirring up a locker room feud, American seventh seed Coco Gauff isn't so sure that having dogs around Wimbledon is a good idea.
The two-time Grand Slam champion made it clear she is a big fan of dogs in general, but aired her concerns about accidently hurting a pet in a work environment.
Gauff, 22, said: "I love dogs. But I definitely think there's certain places dogs shouldn't be for safety reasons, like the gym and the locker room, where sometimes I see dogs."
Gauff revealed there have been times she has come close to accidently hurting a pet at other tournaments.
"There's a time and place. I wouldn't mind them around the site, but there's been times where I almost stepped on somebody's dog, almost threw a medicine ball at someone's dog," she said.
"You don't want to hurt an animal. I definitely think in the gym where there's already 50 million players doing a million different things.
"I don't want to call out the player, but someone threw a medicine ball at me. If I was a little dog, that would freaking hurt.
"In the gym, no. In the locker room, no. Maybe in the food areas no, because of cleanliness. Everything else, go ahead, be free, run around with your dog."
M.Morin--JdCdC
