An argument between the WTA and Ukrainian players is brewing after the head of women’s tennis allegedly told one of those players that they ‘should not get upset’ if some of their peers support Russia’s invasion of their country.
Leisa Tsurenko has claimed that she spoke with WTA CEO Steve Simon about the ongoing situation in the sport. At present players from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate on the Tour but only as neutral athletes. However, the countries are currently suspended from all team events. Last year Britain became the only country to ban those players from tournaments which prompted a fine from the WTA.
There is an ongoing debate surrounding if Wimbledon should reverse its ban amid increasing pressure from both the WTA and ATP. However, some Ukrainian players say the ban should not be lifted due to the ongoing war which has claimed thousands of lives.
One compromise could be that those from the two countries must sign some form of a declaration stating that they will not make pro-war or political gestures during Wimbledon before they are allowed to compete. Simon has not directly commented on the Grand Slam but during a recent interview with BTU, Tsurenko said she was told by the tennis chief that players should be allowed to have their views.
“A few days ago I had a conversation with our WTA CEO Steve Simon and I was absolutely shocked by what I heard,” she said. “He told me that he himself does not support the war, but if the players from Russia and Belarus support it, then this is only their own opinion, and the opinion of other people should not upset me. At the same time, he noted that if this happened to him and he was in my place, he would feel terrible.”
Simon goes on to say that he believes Russia and Belarus will be allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics. Arguing that doing so would show that the principles of the Games work as they treat every athlete as equal.
“He (Simon) expressed confidence that the Russians and Belarusians will return to the Olympics and said that this will happen exactly as it is happening now in tennis. He also said that “fair play” and the Olympic principles are not violated, but quite the contrary. It is the fact that they will perform at the Olympics that will show that these principles work, that everyone is equal and everyone has the opportunity to compete there,” Tsurenko commented.
“When asked if he understood that he was telling me this during the active phase of Russia’s military aggression in my country, he said yes, and this is his opinion.”
Tsurenko withdrew from her third round match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells on Sunday due to ‘personal reasons.’ However, she has since revealed that she suffered a panic attack in the lead-up to the clash and was unable to play. Something the world No.95 has linked to her recent conversation with Simon.
“I was absolutely shocked by this conversation, and already in the last match [against Donna Vekic] it was incredibly difficult to play, difficult to get together and today, when it was time to go to the court, I had a panic attack and I just couldn’t go there. I really hope that I can digest all this information and be more prepared for the next tournament.” She said.
“We asked for a conference call with the WTA Board of Directors to raise the question of how a man like Steve Simon can be a leader in the WTA and what we can do about it. How can we further understand that our organization somehow protects our rights? I just don’t understand how it happened in this world that such things need to be explained. This is very surprising and very painful.”
In a separate development, the Ukranian players have been given no guarantee that they will continue to be given support from organisers regarding accommodation etc at WTA events. Something that was provided at the Australian Open. It is said that the situation is ‘being monitored’ by the WTA.
Simon is yet to publicly comment on Tsurenko’s remarks.
