Ukrainian tennis player learned about the return of Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics
Ukrainian tennis player Lesya Tsurenko commented refusal to enter the court against Belarusian Arina Sobolenko in the match of the third round of the tournament WTA 1000 in Indian Wells (USA).
“The reason for the refusal was a panic attack. Officially it will be written “personal reasons”, but in fact it is breathing problems and, one might say, hysteria.”
“A few days ago I had a conversation with our WTA CEO Steve Simon and I was absolutely shocked by what I heard. He told me that he himself does not support the war, but if the players from Russia and Belarus support it, then this is only their own opinion, and the opinion of other people should not upset me. At the same time, he noted that if this happened to him and he would be in my place, he would feel terrible.”
“In addition, he expressed confidence that the Russians and Belarusians will return to the Olympics and said that this will happen exactly as it is happening now in tennis. He also said that fair play and Olympic principles are not violated, but quite the opposite. It is the fact that they will perform at the Olympics that will show that these principles work, that everyone is equal and everyone has the opportunity to compete there. When asked if he understood that he was telling me this during the active phase of Russian military aggression in my country, he said yes, and this is his opinion.”
“I was absolutely shocked by this conversation, and already in the last game [против Донны Векич] it was incredibly difficult to play, difficult to get ready, and today, when it was time to go to the court, I had a panic attack, and I just could not go there. I really hope that I can digest all this information and be more prepared for the next tournament.”
Recall that in Indian Wells, a few minutes before the start of the meeting against Sobolenko, the Ukrainian refused to play “for personal reasons.”
This season, Tsurenko failed to finish the tournament for the fourth time and withdrew for the second time before the start of the meeting. In total, since April 2022, the Ukrainian has withdrawn from matches seven times.
In Indian Wells, Tsurenko started in qualifying and won four meetings, reaching the third round at this tournament for the first time since 2019.
Source: Sportarena
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