Lesya is pleased with the absence of representatives of Russia and Belarus at Wimbledon
Ukrainian tennis player Lesya Tsurenko commented on the absence of representatives of Russia and Belarus at Wimbledon 2022. She says she feels less pressure.
“I feel good in a tournament where I don’t see players from these countries. I definitely feel less pressure. In most cases, nothing personal, but the situation is such that our countries are at war. So definitely less pressure and I feel a lot better.”
“Why do I feel pressure when they play? I have already spoken about this. This is my personal feeling, I don’t know how it was with other Ukrainians, but only one tennis player from Belarus told me that she supports us, me, Ukraine and she is against the war. I have not heard from others that they are against it, I do not know their opinion. Since others have not told me anything, I feel bad and the pressure builds up inside.
In the second round of the Wimbledon main draw, Tsurenko will face her compatriot Angelina Kalinina. Lesya believes that the performances of Ukrainian athletes are a gesture that shows that Ukraine is a strong nation.
“Shall we make some kind of statement (gesture)? I don’t know, to be honest, if ribbons are allowed. I kind of got lost on this one. You don’t know, you think not? Because they made me a remark for the black stripes on the socks that the socks should be white. As for the rest, I don’t know what else Angelina and I can do? Any joint photo? I think it’s understandable that we are already united. So I don’t know what it could be.”
“I think that as athletes we have the opportunity to take part in competitions. Like our artists, for example, there is an opportunity to perform in Poland, in Germany at various concerts. These are all examples of how Ukrainians are trying to remind the whole world that we exist, that the war is still going on and we need help.”
“The main thing I would like to happen is that we get more heavy weapons. Our performances simply remind us that we exist, we play for our country, for Ukraine, that our country is in trouble and we need help. Also, sport is another opportunity to show that we are a strong nation and we hold on, but the war continues and we need help to win.”
Recall that Russian and Belarusian tennis players were not allowed to participate in Wimbledon due to the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine. Because of this, the ATP, WTA and ITF will not award ranking points for performance in the tournament.
Source: Sportarena
