Former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has called the Rio Olympics ‘a mess’ following her first taste of life in the athletes village.
The world No.10 is currently making her final preparations ahead of her first Olympic Games since 2008. Not one to shy away from speaking her mind, Kuznetsova has hit out at officials in Rio and has sharply criticised the state of their training facilities.
“I am very upset, courts are not completed to put it mildly, they have created a real mess. (There are) many unfinished, dusty and dirty courts and I have the feeling that you train at a construction site.” She said during an interview with Tass News.
Kuznetsova has said that due to the unfinished facilities, she has only been able to get 45 minutes worth of practice in each day. It isn’t just the playing conditions that the Russian is unhappy with. The 31-year-old has also described the food being served as ‘too fried’ and ‘not enough dietary.’
“In the dining room of the Olympic Village there is a lot of people, but it’s the Olympics, it’s okay.” She said.
“What we lack is the usual food, too much fried, and diet is not enough.”
Even where Kuznetsova is staying has problems. Admitting that she didn’t expect to stay in a ‘star hotel’, the world No.10 has joked that some of the furniture in her room ‘isn’t even available in Ikea.’
It is not the first time an athlete has raised concerns about facilities in Rio de Janeiro. The Australian Olympic delegation initially refused to move into their accommodation due to reports of “blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring.” Those issues have since been resolved. Meanwhile, NBA player Andrew Bogut, who is representing Australia, recently tweeted a photo of him fixing a shower curtain in his Olympic room.
The Olympic opening ceremony will take place on Friday 5th August and the tennis competition will start the following day.
