Ukrainian Svitolina does not want to play against Russian tennis star

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina does not want to play her match at the Monterrey tournament in Mexico against Russian Anastasia Potapova. Only if the tennis organizations take measures such as removing the flags of Russia and Belarus, as the International Olympic Committee had previously proposed, will they take action.

Later Monday, the IOC advised sports associations to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from competitions altogether. However, Svitolina made her statements before that announcement.

“We, tennis players from Ukraine, have asked the ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the recommendations of the IOC and only accept players from Russia and Belarus as neutral athletes without national symbols, flags or anthems,” said Svitolina, who wrote in a statement. Mexico placed first. “As a result, I will not play in Monterrey tomorrow, nor in any other match against a tennis player from Russia or Belarus, unless the organizations take the desired measures.”

Svitolina had announced a day earlier that she would donate the prize money she would win at the tournament in Mexico and at the upcoming WTA tournaments in the United States to her country’s military. She also wants to donate part of the prize money to humanitarian aid actions in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.