Jelena Ostapenko has responded to the recent news that the Latvian government would be cutting her state funding due to her taking part in tournaments that feature Russian and Belarusian players.
Last week, the Latvian Olympic Committee held a meeting with their government, deciding ultimately that the funding of Latvian athletes would be suspended if they participated in events that were attended by Russian and Belarusian players.
The former French Open champion has intimated that she will likely have to give up playing tennis professionally without the financial backing of her home government, but she has coupled that with a determination to continue.
Of course, they contacted me, but to be honest, I can't really influence anything because I don't organize tournaments. The WTA organizes these tournaments and I don't have the opportunity to play elsewhere. Basically, it means that I cannot play in any tournament. I have to quit tennis. I will not do that because I am a tennis player and this is my sport. Unfortunately, that is the reality.
The action of the Latvian government is almost universally viewed as completely non-sensical. There is nothing about the situation that Ostapenko could control here. It is worth noting that not even Ukraine's government have taken this step towards their own athletes, most probably because it is utterly self-defeating and does not contribute in any way to a stand against Russia.
Since winning Roland Garros in 2017, Ostapenko's career has largely dipped and then plateaued. This latest news will only come as a further blow to her career and her chances of making it back to the top of the game.
She is due to play in Miami next week, but all eyes will be on her schedule across the rest of the season.
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