Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpischev publicly criticized Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian WTA player praised Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian competitors from the 2022 Grand Slam.
The All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships announced in April that Russian and Belarusian players would not be able to compete at Wimbledon 2022. This move followed widespread condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Svitolina has been vocal in her criticism of Russia's invasion of her homeland and praised Wimbledon organizers for their ruling ahead of the 2022 Championships.
The decision has caused divisions amongst WTA and ATP players, with some arguing that all players should be allowed to play, while others believe the Russian and Belarusian players deserve to be banned.
Ultimately, the players' public opinions have caused arguments within and outside of professional tennis. The latest public figure to speak out was the Russian Tennis Federation president, who took aim at Svitolina and did not hold back in his criticism of the Ukranian.
"There is no need to pay attention [to what Svitolina says], this is not only my opinion, but also what lawyers think. Because of any statement, we [Russian players] can be excluded from some competitions. Now we are playing, everything is fine with us. It's stupid to react at all. Who is Svitolina? Absolutely nobody."
Svitolina has been out of WTA action since a round of 64 exit at the Miami Open, and the former world number three took a hiatus following a combination of back injuries and the mental toll of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, it remains unclear about when the 27-year-old will return to competitive action. Other than hitting out at Svitolina, Tarpischev also thanked tennis stars who publicly opposed the Wimbledon ban of players from the country.
Some notable players have spoken out against the decision, including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who both criticized the ruling - calling it unfair.
Tarpischev stated that he was grateful for their support towards Russian players who will be unable to participate at the All England Club this summer.
"Support from the [tennis] top players is always needed. Players and the [Russian] federation are grateful to all of the players who have already come out in defence of our athletes who were not allowed to compete [at Wimbledon]."
"In my opinion, all the top players should support us and thus defend the competitive principle in the tennis world."
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