"Most Russian players publicly assert their neutrality but the opposite is true" says Yastremska, calling out WTA reaction to war again

Young tennis star Dayana Yastremska has stated that Russian players act differently in public regarding their views of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Both European neighbours are involved in an armed conflict since February last year which has resulted in the loss of lives on both sides.

Yastremska was quoted in a report where she stated that Russian athletes show neutrality in public regarding the war in Ukraine but in private they are completely opposite.

"Before our match in Lausanne, I went on Instagram to look at some photos and saw that Mirra liked that posts,” she said. “This was not a surprise, because most Russian tennis players do the same. They publicly assert their neutrality, but in fact, the opposite is true.”

Yastremska also stated that she went to the WTA and complained about this but there has been no or very little reaction from the body.

"I went to the WTA in Switzerland and told about it,” she said. “I have not received any reason for their decision. They said 'There's nothing we can do'. I told them it wasn't fair.

"I was surprised by the decision of WTA, but on the other hand, it's not the first time Ukrainian players showed WTA, what is happening. We have repeatedly reported similar behavior of players from Russia on social media. We suggested penalties for them, but nothing changes.”