The Ukrainian criticized the WTA for its passive position towards athletes from the aggressor country
Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremskaya criticized Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for a passive position towards athletes from aggressor countries.
“Who needs a reminder most that the war continues is the WTA. They were the first to forget that there was a war going on. What irritates me most is their position on allowing Russian tennis players to participate in tournaments. Tennis is one of the few sports where this is the case. And it drives me to despair.”
“Moreover, some Russians do not even hide their support for aggression against Ukraine. There have been so many times when I reported to the WTA that a Russian woman publicly supported Putin. They promised to look, but nothing – silence. The WTA constantly promises to investigate such incidents and take some measures, but then there is silence. Incredible. Nobody even talks about it anymore.”
“But I will not remain silent, I will continue to talk about it. Why are there not so many Russians in other sports? Because these are normal organizations. But not the WTA.”
“We cannot say that tennis is a weapon in our hands. The mission of sport is to unite people, communities, so I think about tennis when I step on the court. But if I play against Russians, then I think that I would like to have a pistol with me.”
“How do we feel when we have to play with the Russians? Imagine being attacked and having to go on court with a representative of that country. How would you feel knowing that many people died in your country? There is a genocide happening in Ukraine, and it’s unfair that we have to continue to play with them.”
Yastremskaya will perform as part of the Ukrainian national team in the match with the Netherlands in the playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup. Angelina Kalinina, Katarina Zavatskaya and sisters Nadezhda and Lyudmila Kichenok will also play for the national team.
The playoff match will take place in Vilnius on November 11-12. The match will be hosted by SEB Arena, the matches will take place on indoor hard courts. Ukraine will be the host of the confrontation with the Netherlands.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
