Alexandr
Dolgopolov criticized WTA CEO Steve Simon for his comments to Lesia Tsurenko
regarding the war
Former
tennis player Aleksandr Dolgopolov shared his opinion on the comments made by
Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, to Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko
regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The former
world No. 24 retired during her third-round match against Belarusian player
Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells, citing a panic attack as the reason for her
withdrawal. Afterwards, she publicly disclosed the details of her discussion
with Simon. In response to this, Dolgopolov commented on Twitter:
"Steve
Simon, @WTA CEO to @LTsurenko:“I don’t support the war, but it’s OK if players
support it”. Steve, instead of intimidating Ukrainian women, be a man and take
this to the public. Conversation happened with you on duty, people deserve to
know, it’s OK, to support genocide," Dolgopolov wrote on Twitter.
Tsurenko
had commented that Simon sympathized with her regarding the Ukrainian situation:
"When
I asked whether he understood that he tells me all of this while there is an
active war against my country going on right now, he said yes, that this was
his opinion," she said.
“He added
that he himself would be feeling terrible, if he was in my shoes, and while he
doesn't support the war personally, but if the players from Russia and Belarus
do support it, he said, this is only their own opinion and the opinion of others
should not upset me," Tsurenko added.
The Ukrainian player will play tomorrow in the first round of the qualifying stage at the WTA Eastbourne Open, where she is the third seed aiming to secure a spot in the main draw.
