Top Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina refuses to play against Russians or Belarussians on the WTA Tour.
Svitolina, who wanted to be the top seeded player at the WTA tournament in Monterrey, Mexico this week, canceled her first-round match against Anastassiya Potapova of Russia.
“I would like to announce that I will not play against Russian or Belarusian tennis players in Monterrey or in any other match until our organizations take the necessary measures,” Svitolina wrote on Twitter.
“I don’t blame the Russian athletes,” she continued. “I would like to pay tribute to all the players, especially the Russians and Belarusians who bravely spoke out against the war. Your support is essential.”
Svitolina had previously wished for more support from the tennis world for her home country, which was attacked by Russia. “The tennis community can do more. We’ve seen in the past that they came together and helped the world. We can do a lot more now,” said the world number 15. in an interview with “Eurosport”.
Her colleagues on the tennis tour can “help to understand what is happening and thus help the struggling people in Ukraine,” said Svitolina. She herself announced on Twitter on Sunday that she would donate her prize money from the upcoming tournaments to the armed forces and the population in her home country.
The 27-year-old tries to speak regularly to her parents, grandparents and other relatives who live in Ukraine. “It’s important to keep in touch – to find out exactly what’s happening and how I can help them,” said Svitolina: “The most painful thing is that I feel completely useless.”