The performance of the Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova at the prestigious tournament in Indian Wells turned into a scandal. The girl did not hide her love for Spartak, which caused hysteria in the press. And not in the USA at all, but in … Poland!

They call on the WTA to punish the athlete for appearing in public in “red and white” colors. Completely insane?

Cause for hysteria

Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova finished her performance at the tournament in Indian Wells, losing in the third round match to US representative Jessica Pegula. Our athlete won the first set, but then the third racket of the tournament turned the tide of the fight, taking the two remaining games.

The American, who now has to face the Czech athlete Petra Kvitova, praised her opponent, calling Potapova “an excellent player.” But the Polish media appreciated Anastasia’s performance in Indian Wells without any hint of positive. Many publications devoted separate notes to the Russian woman, where they attacked the 21-year-old tennis player and accused her of nothing less than a provocation. Now they sincerely hope that the WTA will take measures that will further restrict Russian athletes.

What did Anastasia do that was so terrible? She entered the court in a T-shirt of the Moscow Spartak, for which she has been a fan for a long time. Where the link between support for a country’s politics and the uniform of a favorite football team is not entirely clear. But the Polish media and journalists who have joined them from some Western countries believe that everything is obvious here.

– Spartak Moscow is a 10-time champion of Russia and a 12-time champion of the USSR. The gesture was taken unequivocally – as support for the actions of the Russian authorities, writes Sport.pl.

Anastasia Potapova / Photo: © Personal archive of Anastasia Potapova

By whom exactly the gesture was perceived unequivocally, the publication does not specify.

Polish suffering

So many efforts have been made in Western countries to demonize Russia that they are now ready to seize any chance to remind them of the terrible Russians who (oh, horror!) have football teams.

The funny thing is that in Poland they seriously believe that the appearance of an athlete in the form of Spartak violates the restrictions imposed by the WTA and ATP on Russians. Let us remind you that our tennis players are allowed to play in a neutral status, but it is impossible to demonstrate any national symbols. On Anastasia’s T-shirt, by the way, there was neither the flag of the country nor the coat of arms.

If we consider the issue of public support by tennis players for their favorite football team, then Potapova is far from the first here. Novak Djokovic sympathizes with Milan, Angelique Kerber with Bayern, Roger Federer with Basel, Caroline Wozniacki with Liverpool, Dominic Tim with Chelsea, Rafael Nadal with Real Madrid… And no one seems to have accused these respected people of anything .

Photo: © Srdjan Stevanovic / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

By the way, Russians and Belarusians are also not particularly spread rot for supporting the “right” teams. Does anyone care about Daria Kasatkina’s indifference to Barcelona or the appearance of Victoria Azarenka in the colors of PSG? Surely Anastasia would have been bypassed if she put on the form of Manchester City or Inter. But something Russian causes an inadequate reaction in some categories of foreign citizens.

The provocation is not the appearance of Potapova in the form of a football team, but the actions of the Polish press. The attacks on our athletes coincided, which is curious, with the intensification of talk about the admission of Russians to participate in the Wimbledon tournament. Fortunately, the WTA, unlike many other international sports organizations, does not react as sharply to calls to further restrict our athletes.

Therefore, the hope remains that no one will take into account the Polish suffering.