Iga SVENTEK: “German players were not allowed after WWII”

The world’s first racket Iga Sventek (Poland) In an interview with the BBC, he stated that it was too late to remove Russian and Belarusian players, but it had to be done:

“I heard that German players as well as Japanese and Italian players were not allowed after WWII, and it seems to me that such moments would show the Russian government that perhaps they should not do this. I understand that these are small things because we are just athletes, a small part of the world, but I think sports are very important and sports are always used in propaganda.

This decision was considered but tennis didn’t go that route and now it would probably be quite unfair to the Russian and Belarusian players because such a decision should have been made a year ago.

It seems to me that tennis could have behaved a little better from the start, showing everyone that tennis players are against war. I think they can do more to get the message across and share their views and help us be better in the locker room as the atmosphere is quite tense.

If we talk about Russian and Belarusian players, then it is not their fault that they have such a passport, but on the other hand, we all influence the situation to some extent and if this will help stop Russian aggression, we should get it. The road in terms of the decisions taken by the federations.

Sure, it’s easy to say, but it’s a little different when you’re face to face with people. For example, I shook hands with Daria Kasatkina – she openly said that in the beginning she was against the war and her dream was over. I respect that a lot because I think it’s brave for Russian athletes because their situation is very difficult and sometimes it’s hard for them to speak out about it.”