NOS Sport•
Ukrainian tennis star Lesia Tsurenko has given up on the American tournament Indian Wells after a panic attack, which she suffered after a conversation with WTA boss Steve Simon about the war in her native country. The number 95 in the world ranking said he was “shocked” by Simon’s views.
Tsurenko was scheduled to play against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Indian Wells, but withdrew. Several Ukrainian tennis players have refused to play against Russians and Belarusians since the Russian invasion of their country, and the help from Belarus.
There is currently a debate about banning Russians and Belarusians from tennis tournaments. Wimbledon is reportedly planning to welcome Russian and Belarusian tennis players back this summer (under a neutral flag), where they were banned by the British government last year.
Indian Wells communicated that Tsurenko had withdrawn for “personal reasons”. In Ukrainian media, she then explained exactly what happened. “The reason for my withdrawal was a panic attack. Officially it says it was for personal reasons, but in reality I was dealing with breathing problems and hysteria.”
So that came from a conversation with Simon. “A few days ago I had a conversation with the boss of the WTA and I was stunned by what I heard. He told me that he himself did not support the war, but if players from Russia and Belarus do, it is their opinion . According to him, I shouldn’t care about the opinion of others.”
According to Tsuerenko, several tennis players from Ukraine are wondering whether Simon’s position is still tenable. The WTA released a statement and expressed support for Ukraine.
