The coach of Lesia Tsurenko doesn't really like what Sabalenka has been doing recently as he blasted her for using the same tricks the Russian government employed.
Tsurenko withdrew from Indian Wells ahead of her match with Sabalenka due to a panic attack which she blamed on the situation back in her country. It's very understandable considering the circumstances but her coach had some choice words for Sabalanka and her actions. While she never publicly backed the war and spoke in favour of peace, Vlasov doesn't believe it.
He blasted her again for similar reasons saying:
"Something that surprised me the most was that while addressing this terrible situation with Tsurenko, there were no words from Sabalenka about wishing Lesia well or a speedy recovery. She didn't condemn Simon's words by any means and the whole situation either. Instead in her comment she did the same trick as the Russian propaganda did at the beginning of the war, when the territory of Belarus was used to shell Kyiv."
He further added:
"Back then Russians and Belarusians said that it was the Ukrainians who were bombing their capital. It's the same here. They didn't come up with anything new. It's just an attempt to shift the focus from the situation, nothing else. And I will gladly dive into the discussion and give you more answers, but only after the current situation is resolved."
No info so far from the WTA on whether they are ready to talk with the 🇺🇦 players who requested a call/meeting, says Nikita Vlasov. Still the unanswered question is what's the WTA policy on tennis reps who support the war/army More from the Ukrainian coach of Lesia Tsurenko 👇
