Ukrainian tennis player Lesya Tsurenko once again confirmed that she is ready to withdraw from matches against representatives of Russia and Belarus, but a clear position of the tennis and sports authorities of Ukraine is needed.
For withdrawals at major tournaments, athletes will receive a fine and will not receive rating points.
“Indeed, there are many nuances in tennis. If on Helmets in the first round you are removed from the game, then, yes, the fine is huge, you are not given prize money at all, as well as points in the rating. That is, there are consequences, but if there were some recommendations for everyone, then this would not be an issue at all. The war and everything that happens in our country is more important than the result in the tournament. Therefore, of course, if there is such a recommendation, I will adhere to it 100%. We have already tried a lot, and if I was filming the matches alone, this would make little sense. But if this is a national position, tell us about it, that this is our position, and this will be our step. I believe that there should be a systematic approach here. So far, everything that has been done has been done solely on the initiative and communication of the players among themselves. There are 6-8 Tour players who come up with something, constantly trying to prove their opinion, to fight for truth and honesty with the Tours.
But there was no official position that would support the players and coordinate any joint actions of tennis players together with state bodies or the federation, neither from the state, nor from the Ministry of Sports, nor from the National Olympic Committee, nor from the federation itself.
No matter how much our players themselves beat their heads against the wall of the ATP and WTA, none of the state bodies provides their support. We are here one on one with two organizations in which we are essentially at work, and we are fighting alone with our employers. You need to understand that before the war in Russia there were major WTA and ATP tournaments that brought considerable profit to tennis organizations. Considering all the components of the financial interests of organizations, it is extremely difficult for us, the players, to resist such structures and prove the case without the support of the state.
