SVITOLINA: “It would be a pity if players from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are allowed to participate in Wimbledon”

Ukraine’s former first racket Elina Svitolina He talked about the possibility of lifting the ban on players from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to participate in Wimbledon.

It was the right decision Wimbledon made last year. It is very sad if this year has changed because the war is still terrible, the Russian army is still killing many innocent people. This is not fair game.

Our sport has been back for at least a decade. Our athletes are not able to train properly and 150 athletes lost their lives in clashes on the front line. Obviously, these are unfair conditions.

The war brought Ukrainian players closer together. We all agree that it’s not fair to us for them (players from rf and rb) to just keep playing. Other sports, olympic sports, do not allow Russian athletes to compete, almost only tennis allows them, and I do not know why. It is psychologically very difficult to know that there are some players who support the war with you in the locker room. You never know what they’re really thinking, as most of them don’t give a clear explanation,” said Svitolina.