Iga Swiatek calls for more support for Ukrainian players
In terms of sport, things have been going well for Iga Swiatek in Indian Wells so far. The world number one would definitely have expected more leadership from their umbrella organization WTA.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 15, 2023, 04:16 pm
A few days ago, the news circulated that the Tennis Union of Latvia had stopped supporting Jelena Ostapenko. The reason for this: Ostapenko continues to play against players from Russia and Belarus on the WTA tour. Incidentally, this has happened twice in singles this season: in Adelaide against Anna Kalinskaya. And most recently in Dubai against Aryna Sabalenka. Ostapenko will be able to get over the cessation of payments, the French Open winner from 2017 earned more than twelve million US dollars in prize money alone.
The case shows, however, that many things in sport have a political dimension these days. This also applies to Lesia Tsurenko's decision not to compete against Sabalenka in Indian Wells after a conversation with WTA boss Steve Simon drove her to panic attacks. Simon, it was rumored afterwards, told Tsurenko not to get upset that some of her opponents approved of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
For Swiatek, the discussion is going in the wrong direction
It is not known whether Anastasia Potapova belongs to this group. The fact that the winner from Linz walked across the facility in a jersey from a Moscow club in Indian Wells also drew world number one Iga Swiatek into action. Swiatek was one of the first players to openly voice her support for Ukraine.
"It's a difficult situation," the Pole began after her win against Emma Raducanu in Indian Wells. "It's pretty emotional for me. These things with people wearing Russian football club shirts only happen because we didn't have a proper lead through the WTA at the beginning."
"There's a lot of tension in the dressing room," Swiatek continued. "And it could have been less if the WTA had made a little more effort right from the start to explain how to behave." The discussion is going in the wrong direction for the three-time major winner anyway. "A little more should be done to help the Ukrainian players. My impression is that in tennis the only discussion is whether Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete or not.
Here the individual tableau in Indian Wells
iwmap