Tennis
“I was taught to be a patriot.” Russian tennis player explained her refusal to play for Kazakhstan
Diana Schneider / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Russian tennis player Diana Schneider said that she was offered to play for Kazakhstan.
In the current WTA rankings, the 18-year-old Russian woman ranks 109th.
– Change of citizenship? We often discuss this with our players, but I am against it. I told my parents and the coaches who tried to convince me. As a person who has played for the national team for so many years, I know that I simply cannot do otherwise. I was taught to be a patriot. And this is my self, which I can not step over. The coaches said that I could play for another country and then I would have more opportunities. Because they don’t like Russians: they don’t give such good contracts as they do to Europeans or Americans. I worked with a coach from Kazakhstan who offered to play for his country. But I didn’t agree, because when such a difficult moment is not only for us, but for all the people who are in our country, for our athletes, it’s not good to do this, ”Championship” Schneider quotes.
Source: Sportbox
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