PARTSI: Reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek says the Ukraine war has caused “chaos” in the world of sport.
In an interview with French daily Le Monde on Tuesday, the Pole also hit out at the ruling bodies of tennis, the ATP and WTA, saying they had failed to provide leadership on the issue of Ukrainian players facing Russians on the court.
“There are indeed tensions among the players, sometimes the atmosphere in the locker room is quite heavy,” the 21-year-old said.
“At the beginning of the conflict, there was a lack of leadership on the part of the tennis authorities, we were not brought together to explain how we were supposed to manage this complex situation and how to behave.
“Those who are in the worst position are the Ukrainian players and it would be good if we paid more attention to what they feel and what they endure.”
Her fears were illustrated on Sunday when Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk was booed at the French Open for refusing to shake hands with Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka.
Kostyuk said the Paris crowd should “feel embarrassed” by their actions.
Swiatek, whose country neighbors Ukraine, was asked if she would support the participation of athletes from Russia and their ally Belarus at the Paris Olympics next year.
“It is not for us as athletes to make such a decision,” she said. “There is currently a kind of chaos in sport and the most important thing is not to make it worse, to share values that are the right ones and to be clear that we cannot tolerate the ongoing war.”
Russia and Belarus were banned from international competition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,
In March this year, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competition, without commenting on their possible presence at the Paris Games.
Swiatek says Ukraine war has caused ‘chaos’ in sport
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Swiatek says Ukraine war has caused ‘chaos’ in sport
- The Pole also hit out at the ruling bodies of tennis, the ATP and WTA, saying they had failed to provide leadership on the issue of Ukrainian players facing Russians on the court
- "Those who are in the worst position are the Ukrainian players and it would be good if we paid more attention to what they feel and what they endure," Swiatek said
Alexandra Eala delights fans with day 3 win at Abu Dhabi Open
- The Filipina star joins Sara Bejlek, Janice Tjen, Dayana Yastremska, Jelena Ostapenko and others in the last 16
ABU DHABI: Crowds flocked to Zayed Sports City’s Stadium Court on Monday night as rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala delivered a popular win at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Day 3 action served some upsets, as Spanish former world No. 2 Paula Badosa was eliminated by Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a three-set thriller, while qualifier Sara Bejlek defeated last year’s finalist Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets. One of the finest matches of the day was between Maya Joint of Australia and Indonesian Janice Tjen, with the latter triumphing 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
Tjen said after the victory: “This is my first time in Abu Dhabi and it’s been so nice. It means so much to me, the support I received today from the fans. The Indonesian fans were chanting ‘let’s go’ in my language which was amazing.”
In the evening, Jelena Ostapenko came from a set down to beat Oksana Selekhmeteva. The Latvian said after her impressive comeback: “I gave it my all on the court and am so happy with the win. The UAE is one of my favorite countries to play in and the atmosphere was amazing.”
The final match of the day was played in front of a capacity crowd, Eala delighting the audience with her straight-set victory over Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez.
The 20-year-old said of her win: “Recently I’ve been playing in front of so many big crowds and I’m starting to find my groove a bit. I really appreciate all the fans coming to watch me with their families, especially on weekdays.”
After the match, she attended a meet-and-greet with Alfonso Ferdinand Ver, the Philippines ambassador to the UAE.
Tournament director Nigel Gupta said: “It was another wonderful day of tennis in Abu Dhabi. It’s been fantastic to see such strong crowds throughout the event, and especially to see so many schoolchildren enjoying the experience today. The draw produced a mouth-watering match-up between two highly supported players, and while there could only be one winner, congratulations to Eala. We’re really looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store.”
Tuesday’s action includes seven-time WTA Tour title winner Liudmila Samsonova playing Janice Tjen on Stadium Court and an all-American clash between Hailey Baptiste and Emma Navarro, before Eala plays doubles with Tjen against Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic on ADCB Court 1.
Off the court, 2,897 students from 41 schools attended the tournament as part of its free-entry initiative for children until Thursday. The tournament ends on Saturday, Feb. 7.
