Iga Swiatek: Tennis bosses missed chance to ban Russians, Belarusians

Iga Swiatek

Women's World No. 1 Iga Swiatek says tennis authorities missed an opportunity to ban Russian and Belarusian players outright after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, but the moment has passed to do so now, she told the BBC.

The 21-year-old Pole has been a staunch supporter of her Ukrainian rivals criticising the WTA for not doing enough to support them. Unlike other sports which imposed an outright ban following the invasion in February 2022, tennis officials permitted those from Russia and Belarus to continue playing, but as neutral athletes.

They were allowed to play three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, with Wimbledon the exception. Authorities punished Wimbledon organisers by not awarding the tournament ranking points, but Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete this year after the ban was lifted.

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"I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it. I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war," said Swiatek.

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