YASTREMSKAYA: “I would like to have a gun with me when playing against the Russians”

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremskaya Before the match with the Dutch national team at the Billie Jean King Cup, he expressed his opinion about the acceptance of Russian tennis players into the competition.

“The person who most needs a reminder that the war continues is the WTA. They were the first to forget that a war was going on. What bothers me the most is their attitude towards allowing Russian tennis players to participate in tournaments. Tennis is one of the few sports in which this occurs. And this drives me to despair. Moreover, some Russians do not even hide their support for the attack on Ukraine. I have reported to the WTA many times that a Russian woman openly supports Putin. They promised to look, but nothing – silence. WTA constantly promises to investigate such incidents and take action, but then there is silence. Unbelievable. Nobody even talks about it anymore.

But I won’t be silent, I will keep talking. Why aren’t there so many Russians in other sports? Because these are normal organizations. But not WTA. It cannot be said that tennis is a weapon in our hands. The mission of sport is to unite people and communities, so when I step on the court I think of tennis. But I think if I play against the Russians I would want to have a gun with me.

How do we feel when we have to play with the Russians? Imagine being attacked and having to take the field with a representative of that country. How would you feel if you knew that so many people were dying in your country? “There’s a genocide going on in Ukraine and it’s not fair that we have to keep playing with them,” Dayana said.

The match will be played on 11-12 November at SEB Arena in Vilnius, with a capacity of 2,000 spectators.