"I don't think the tour can actually do something about this, I think it's about the players" - Pliskova disagrees with Azarenka over safeguarding policy

Victoria Azarenka wants the WTA Tour to step up and guard its players better among the recent reports of sexual assault.

Fiona Ferro accused her former coach of sexual assault and it brought the spotlight to a subject that has been disregarded by many for a long time. Stories like that of Ferro are not uncommon in the world of tennis because a lot of WTA players interact with many male coaches who are in a position of power over them.

Victoria Azarenka, as a member of the WTA council, proposes a new safeguarding policy which would see the WTA step up in an effort to guard its players, especially the most vulnerable ones. Karolina Pliskova disagrees with that approach:

"I didn't hear any story about Fiona Ferro, so I don't know what is going on. I don't know. Yeah, okay. I don't think there is a problem in this. I don't think the tour can actually do something about this. I think it's about the players."

Explaining her point in more detail, Karolina said:

"Of course, some of them, they are super young. They maybe don't have many choices. But they still have parents. I think they have enough people around themselves to somehow handle this situation," Karolina Pliskova said, adding, "I think what the tour can do, they cannot just go, like, inside. This is like a team thing, this is almost like a family. They cannot just go there and say, Okay, you are too much."

She concluded with:

"I don't think there is a way. I don't think somebody should, like, speak in it. But maybe of course to have somebody who can help in case you feel like you just need to speak about some things. I think actually there is at every tournament I think now some, like, mental coach or somebody. I think there is."