Elina Svitolina has stated that she and the rest of the Ukrainian players are not demanding that Russian players should be barred from competing entirely.
All England Club announced on Wednesday that no Russian or Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the 2022 Wimbledon. Elina Svitolina, who was one of the loudest Ukrainian voices in tennis, was asked for her thoughts on Wimbledon's decision.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, the Ukrainian said that she doesn't want to see the Russian and Belarusian players banned from competing. On contrary, they would like to see Russian players express their views on Russia's activities in Ukraine.
"We don’t want them banned completely. If players don’t speak out against the Russian government then it is the right thing to ban them. We just want them to speak up, if they are with us and the rest of the world or the Russian government."
According to Svitolina, if the players didn't vote for the current Russian or Belarusian government, it should be fair to allow them competing. It's a very interesting perspective from the Ukrainian player, and certainly a refreshing one, as recently talks about banning have been louder and louder.
"This is for me the main point. If they didn’t choose, they didn’t vote for this government, then it’s fair they should be allowed to play and compete."
One of the Russian players who voiced out his opinion was Andrey Rublev, who was seen opposing the war multiple times. However, in a recent post made by another Ukrainian tennis player, Alexander Dolgopolov, Rublev was called a liar for his statements.
It's clear that the current situation is difficult to navigate for everyone, and that's also why the voices don't seem to be united in their statements. Both players, and people affected by the current situation are certainly hoping for it to end as soon as possible.
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