Iga Swiatek shares thoughts on Russians and Belarusians playing tennis during Ukraine War
WTA
Iga Swiatek spoke about the ongoing War in Ukraine after recently organizing an exhibition to help Ukrainians.
Swiatek has been one of the most outspoken players when it comes to the War in Ukraine. The Polish player feels it's important to talk about the topic, which is what she does every time she gets a chance.
She wants to remind people and tennis fans that the war is still going on, even though it might not be in the news every day. To help the cause, she also organized an exhibition event called "Iga Swiatek and Friends for Ukraine."
The event, which was also attended by former WTA player Agnieszka Radwanska and active Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, raised a total of €422,000 for Ukraine.
After the event, Swiatek spoke to the Polish publication Interia Wydarzenia. The WTA World No. 1 player discussed the dilemma of Russian and Belarusian players competing while the war is still going on.
On the one hand, the Polish player is aware that the Russian and Belarusian players competing on the ATP and WTA Tours are not directly responsible for the war.
At the same time, she believes there is something called "social responsibility." It's a challenging topic, and even Swiatek couldn't provide a clear answer.
"To be honest, this is a complicated situation and I don't really want to make such a decision myself, because I know that there are many wise people, even in the WTA and ATP, who could, for example, declare themselves in advance and guide us in such a way that it does not affect the mood in the locker room or the personal relations between the players."
"On the one hand, I know that it is not their fault that their country started the war, but on the other hand, there is social responsibility."
