Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, 15th racket in the world, has announced that she will forfeit the Monterrey Tournament rather than face a Russian opponent, unless the WTA intervenes.
The 27-year-old is calling on the women’s tennis circuit to adopt the Olympics format by forcing Russian players to identify themselves under a neutral flag.
In a message posted on Twitter on Monday, Svitolina wrote that she does not want to play her first-round match against Anastasia Potapova “nor any other match against Russian or Belarusian players” until the WTA, ATP and the International Tennis Federation adopt practices of neutrality like those of the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC prohibits athletes from representing Russia, displaying the Russian flag and refusing to play the Russian national anthem.
Svitolina is demanding the same treatment for all international tennis circuits in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s regime.
“I don’t blame any professional Russian athlete,” Svitolina said. They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland. »
Svitolina has reached the Grand Slam semi-final round twice and has 16 singles titles on the WTA Tour. She has already risen to 3rd in the world.
Another Ukrainian player, Lesia Tsurenko, wrote on Twitter that she and other athletes were very surprised and disappointed to see the lack of response from major tennis federations.
Tsurenko, the world’s 127th player and former number 23, called on the WTA to immediately condemn the Russian government’s aggression.
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