Ukraine war: Elina Svitolina pulls out of Monterrey - and increases pressure on ATP, WTA & ITF
The Ukrainian Elina Svitolina issued a statement on Monday evening demanding a reaction from the player organizations ATP, WTA and the ITF. The world rankings-15. announces that it will not play any matches against Russian or Belarusian players in the future if no measures are taken.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Feb 28, 2022, 07:02 pm
"Our goal as tennis players should be to draw the attention of the media and the whole world in general. We have to stop this war," Elina Svitolina told Eurosport a few hours ago. The Ukrainian is at the forefront of Ukrainian women's tennis when it comes to mobilizing against Russia's military aggression against her homeland.
Now the world number 15 demands. by WTA, ATP and ITF a tougher crackdown. "I think the current situation requires a clear position from our organizations: ATP, WTA and ITF," said the 27-year-old in a statement on social media. "Therefore, we - the Ukrainian players - have called on the ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the IOC's recommendations and only accept Russian or Belarusian nationals as neutral athletes who do not wear national symbols, colors, flags or anthems."
Svitolina moves out of Monterrey
In addition, the world number 15. decided not to compete in the Monterrey WTA 250 event. Svitolina will also "not play any other match against Russian or Belarusian tennis players until our organizations have made this necessary decision." At the same time, the 27-year-old emphasized that she did not want to blame any Russian athletes for the current situation.
Rather, the Ukrainian would like to thank the courage of many Russian athletes: "They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland. I would also like to express my appreciation to all players, especially the Russians and Belarusians, who courageously took a stand against the war. Your support is essential," Svitolina said. In recent days, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, among others, have made urgent appeals for peace.