Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has attributed her angry outburst during her defeat to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals to the conduct of some spectators who allegedly celebrated her mistakes.

A video of the world number two swearing and making angry gestures during her 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 defeat to Svitolina on Friday circulated widely on social media, triggering speculation that her remarks were directed at her Ukrainian opponent or Ukrainians generally.

However, Sabalenka dismissed the interpretation, saying her reaction was prompted by a small group of spectators who aggressively cheered whenever she made mistakes.

In a statement shared on social media on Saturday, the 28-year-old admitted losing her temper but clarified that she had not intended to insult Svitolina.

“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,” she said.

Sabalenka acknowledged that she should have handled the situation differently and apologised to anyone offended by her behaviour.

She also praised Svitolina's performance, describing it as a great match and wishing the Ukrainian success in the remainder of the competition.

The defeat ended Sabalenka's campaign at the season-ending tournament, while Svitolina advanced to the semi-finals.

The incident unfolded against the background of strained relations between Ukrainian players and their Russian and Belarusian counterparts following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Svitolina and several other Ukrainian players have maintained a policy of refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents after matches as a protest against the war.

The Ukrainian also reiterated the importance of mutual respect in tennis, saying she hoped matches between them would not be overshadowed by hostile comments relating to the conflict.