JAKARTA – The ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players from appearing at Wimbledon is not fully supported by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
Svitolina said that tennis players from the two countries who were vocal against Russia's invasion of Ukraine should be allowed to compete.
"We don't want them to be banned altogether. If the players don't speak out against the Russian government then it's the right thing to ban them," Svitolina said.
"We just want them (players) to speak up. If they are with us and the whole world or the Russian government. For me this is the main point. If they are neutral then it is natural that they are allowed to play and compete," he continued.
The ban for Russian and Belarusian tennis players was issued by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) on Wednesday, April 20 yesterday. This ban is considered unfair by the ATP and WTA tennis bodies.
Svitolina herself did not approve of the reaction given by the ATP and WTA although she rejected all Russian and Belarusian players being punished. Instead, he alleged that the two bodies did not react as quickly as a Ukrainian like him would like.
Svitolina's disagreement with the two tennis parents was conveyed in a lengthy statement on. In a statement he called for the ATP and WTA to take a tougher stance against Russian and Belarusian athletes.
"We can tell there are sanctions for the Russian people. Why should tennis players be any different. I don't think they are right," he said.
The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players has many pros and cons. The famous tennis player Novak Djokovic even criticized this policy.
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