Tsurenko: Rest assured that we are fighting. They won’t be able to put the war behind them

Ukrainian tennis player Lesya Tsurenko spoke out harshly about controversial policies WTA in relation to “neutral” athletes and national symbols, as well as the gradual hushing up of the topic of war.

“The war continues, and this means that this issue is not closed. Our country did not choose such a fate. And we also did not choose this fate, that for 1.5 years we have been in a state of constant confrontation with the WTA and representatives of the aggressor countries.”

“Indeed, starting from Roland Garros, they stopped asking me about the war. I simply didn’t have a single press conference at Wimbledon. Yes, there is a feeling that in tennis they are trying to hush up this topic as much as possible. This is purely my personal impression. For myself, I can say that I am making every effort to continue the fight, to clarify all the issues that we have. There are also some processes that are ongoing, but due to confidentiality policies we cannot disclose details. Rest assured that we are fighting. They won’t be able to put the war behind them.”

“Regarding the use of flags, popularization of players, pages on social networks… Everything was discussed more than once. And, unfortunately, in most cases they don’t hear us, they don’t want to hear us. This is very strange to me. Especially when it comes to flags. Because there were a lot of such situations. Well, they can’t get rid of it. They really weren’t able to remove the flags completely because they were at both the tournaments and the draw ceremonies. What can I say? This is WTA. It explains everything”.

“In fact, it would be good if they clarified the specifics of this status in which the so-called neutral athletes are located, what exactly is meant… Let’s say, make it clear for a start… although it’s not possible to begin with… Then at least now, yes “, it would be nice to clarify these features of the so-called neutral status,” the Ukrainian said.

Back in March 2023, Tsurenko criticized the decision of the International Olympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions. According to her, “the ATP and WTA practically protect Russians and Belarusians” – and, as one can judge, nothing has changed significantly in six months.

One of the many athletes allowed to participate in tennis competitions without restrictions under a neutral flag (Aryna Sabalenka), currently leads the women’s world rankings.

Let us remind you that today Tsurenko reached the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, having won an easy victory over the Chinese Lin Zhu.

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched rocket and air strikes on most Ukrainian cities and then launched a full-scale military invasion. The war against Russia has continued for the 586th day.