Ukrainian tennis pro Lesia Tsurenko doesn't think there is much support for Ukraine in the tennis community or the sporting world in general with most of it going to Russia.
The war in Ukraine is a very complicated situation and it's no wonder that the complications extend far beyond the war. The sporting world is in limbo unsure of how to posture themselves for the most part. The WTA has an obligation towards both its Ukranian and Russian players making it very hard to find a solution that will satisfy both sides.
Tsurenko, as one of the more veteran Ukranian players with a career that is older than a decade has been among those most active during this time. She held meetings with the WTA including the chief Steve Simon but she rarely left those meetings satisfied:
"A year ago, Steve Simon told us that if a player showed support for Russia's actions in this war, she would be sanctioned. Then, a year later, he completely changed his attitude and said that supporting the war is okay. It really shocked me, I couldn't get my head around it."
She doesn't think much better of the Olympic Committee whome she blamed of trying to forcing countries to accept Russia as part of the Olympic Games. Some have spoken out against it but it seems like they will be allowed to compete:
"I have a feeling that now the Olympic Committee is using tennis as a sort of example. they make it seem like everything is fine in tennis, that the Russians play first and that is not a problem, and I would say they will use this in their decision on the Games. However, this is a problem. It is very difficult for Ukrainians to play against a Russian or a Belarusian for many reasons. The WTA and the Olympic Committee look at this sport only from the point of view of the rights of Russians and Belarusians, completely ignoring the violation of the rights of Ukrainians."
Agree🙏 Fair play principles must be followed 💯
The goal of the Olympic Movement, as per the Olympic Charter, is to promote sport “in a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play". Russia ruins not only fair play, but also lives of Ukrainian athletes. The real fair play is to ban Russian athletes from the Olympic Games.
