Women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek says there should be less focus on whether Russian players should participate in sports events and more on helping those from Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
Earlier this week the three-time Grand Slam champion criticized Russian player Anastasia Potapova for wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt at Indian Wells when she entered the stadium for her third round clash against Jessica Pegula. Speaking to Polish media, Swiatek said Potapova shouldn’t ‘show her views in this way at such times’ due to the ongoing situation.
In a separate situation, Lesia Tsurenko said she withdrew from her match at the tournament after experiencing a panic attack which she attributed to her meeting with WTA CEO Steve Simon. The head of women’s tennis allegedly told the Ukranian that she should not get upset if some of her peers support Russia’s invasion as they are entitled to their opinion. Simon also said he was confident that Russia would be allowed to play at the Olympics but was less clear about what support the WTA will provide to Tsurenko and her compatriot in the coming months.
“It’s a tough situation. For me, it’s pretty emotional because I feel like these situations are happening with people that are wearing Russian team football T-shirts because at the beginning we kind of didn’t have proper leadership to guide us through all of that,” Swiatek said following her fourth round win over Emma Raducanu at Indian Wells.
“There is a lot of tension in the locker room but maybe there could have been a little bit less if WTA put some action at the beginning to kind of explain to everybody what is right and what is not.”
Swiatek is one of tennis’ most vocal critics of Russia’s military actions against Ukraine which begin on February 24th 2022. At least 8000 civilians have been killed in the conflict and another 13,000 wounded, according to the United Nations.
Continuing her criticism of the governing body’s approach to the situation, the 21-year-old has called for more financial support to be provided to those players who are unable to return home during the season due to the war. Such as help with accommodation and travel.
“A little bit more should be done to kind of help Ukrainian players because I feel everything we discuss in tennis is more about Belarusian and Russian players and if they should be allowed (to play),” she said.
“I don’t think that’s right because we should focus more on helping Ukrainian players and providing them everything that they need because they basically have to take care of all their families, and there’s a lot of baggage on their shoulders.’
“I’ll try to kind of help with that as well because I guess with everything that is happening, the actions that were taken up to this point were, I don’t think they were enough.”
Swiatek has also called for Russian and Belarussian players to show more ‘responsibility’ regarding their actions following the decision of Potapova to wear a T-shirt of a Russian football team. Russian and Belarussian players are allowed to play on the WTA Tour but only as neutral athletes.
“I think we all have the responsibility to kind of show the right example and right things. I don’t have an influence on some people’s values, but I think we are the ones that should set a good example. There is a responsibility on every one of us, and that’s why we’re making that kind of money. That’s why we’re in the media,” she states.
“There are some advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes this responsibility is a disadvantage, but it is how it is.”
Swiatek is through to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells where she will play Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. She is bidding to become only the second woman in history to defend the title after Martina Navratilova did so more than 30 years ago.
