While Wimbledon decided on Wednesday to exclude Russian and Belarusian players from the 2022 edition, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, ex-world No.5, claims their “exclusionof the whole circuit if they do not denounce the war in Ukraine. This call from the Ukrainian player, who has been walking away from tournaments in recent weeks, comes as Wimbledon organizers announced that Russian and Belarusian players will not be allowed to participate in the next edition (June 27-July 10). .
Beyond the London event, Elina Svitolina demands that Russians and Belarusians be excluded from the entire circuit if they do not position themselves clearly against the war, according to terms which she specifies. “We ask that the WTA (which runs the women’s professional circuit), the ATP (the men’s professional circuit), and the ITF (International Federation) ensure that players representing Russia and Belarus answer the following questions: 1. Do you support the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Belarus and therefore the war that has been provoked by these two countries? 2. Do you support Russian and Belarusian military activities in Ukraine? 3. Do you support the Putin and Lukashenko regimes?“, is it written in a press release that she posted on her social networks.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the sentence has fallen, the Russians and Belarusians excluded from Wimbledon
“Depending on the answers, we demand the exclusion and banishment of Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international competition, as Wimbledon did“, Continues this text, also posted by other Ukrainian players. “There comes a time when silence feels like betrayal and that time has come“, concludes the text, considering in passing that the statements made by certain Russian and Belarusian players against the war were not sufficiently virulent.
Russia and Belarus have been excluded by the ITF from national team competitions (Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, of which Russia is the title holder), but the WTA and ATP accept players from these two countries as individual provided they compete under a neutral banner. The four Grand Slam tournaments operate independently of the WTA and ATP. The Australian Open took place before the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Roland-Garros (May 22-June 5) is the first Major scheduled since its start and has not yet planned to exclude Russians and Belarusians, as has the US Open (August 29-September 11).
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