Elina Svitolina - Olympia and the dear money
Olympic Games yes or no - this question will be decided in the months before. By participating in the team competitions of the ITF.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 08, 2019, 09:07 am
The starting places at the Olympics are also in great demand among the participants of the tennis competitions. With few exceptions: Dominic Thiem, for example, gives himself an appearance in Tokyo 2020, the Austrian wants four years later in Paris to fight for Olympic precious metal. The conditions for this would have fulfilled Thiem but also for Tokyo. He is solid in the top spot of the ATP world rankings and, more importantly, has played for Austria in the Davis Cup in the recent past.
The starting cards are awarded by the World Federation ITF. And he insists on appearances in his big team competitions, the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. That could be a problem for Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian, who finished sixth in the tennis world in 2019 in the WTA World Ranking List, is in a clinch with her federation. The reason is the dear money. At least, if you trust the version of Ukrainian Association President Yevgeny Zhukin.
Svitolina is missing a Fed Cup match
He told the portal btu.org.ua that before the 2019 season, they had agreed to pay Svitolina for their performances in the Fed Cup. Shortly before the first match of the year against Poland, however, the manager Svitolinas would have reported - and demanded 2.5 times the agreed amount. That was too much for the association, Svitolina did not play. For injury reasons.
When asked about the controversy, the 25-year-old said. "Yes, I plan to play in Tokyo. And the situation is that I still need a Fed Cup match. But suppose our association does not need my help, then there are other ways to qualify for the Olympics, after I'm still a top player on the women's tour. "
That she is not mistaken: The reserved by the ITF wild cards should actually be reserved for winners of Grand Slam tournaments. Of that, Elina Svitolina was still a bit distant in 2019 - despite two semi-finals in Wimbledon and at the US Open. So the Odessa woman should do better in Estonia in February, when the Ukrainian team will have to play in the Europe / Africa zone.