1995 Davis Cup finalist Andrei Chesnokov in a conversation with called the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions terrible, expressing hope for the early admission of Russians to all sports.
Earlier, the head of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Andrea Gaudenzi, noted that he did not support sanctions against Russian athletes, saying the athletes had done nothing wrong to be banned from participation in international tournaments.
Of course, I fully support this statement. Finally, people have become more flexible, this is a very important point. Sport has recently been closely associated with politics, although, for example, the same chess players or gymnasts have nothing to do with it. These Russian-born athletes simply love their country, their architecture, their nature, their culture, why should they suffer? For example, I’m out of politics and I think some people should be involved in it. Athletes must mind their own business.
It’s terrible that our athletes, who have dedicated their lives to sport, have had their arms and legs cut off, removed from everywhere, it’s just a disaster. Now our athletes can only participate in international tennis competitions, but I would like to see other sports allowed as soon as possible. It’s good that we talk about it, but it’s important that it be put in place as soon as possible, so that the Russians can perform, because time passes, a career is not eternal. When an athlete loses the competitive rhythm, it gets worse, and because of rivalry, you can add, both lose and win, Chesnokov told .
Russian female tennis players can currently participate in ATP and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments in a neutral status.
The Russians and Belarusians have been suspended from the Wimbledon tournament in 2022 due to events in Ukraine. Later, the organizers of the competition were fined $1 million and the WTA and ATP stripped the tournament of ranking points.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
