Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk says the WTA Tour has ignored a request for a gathering with gamers from the war-torn nation within the newest indicators of the conflict-related tensions in girls’s tennis.
Kostyuk, cheered on by Ukrainian followers seated behind nationwide flags, was crushed by Russian Anastasia Potapova on the Miami Open on Thursday and left the court docket with out shaking the hand of her opponent.
Chatting with reporters after the loss, Kostyuk opened up concerning the frustration she and different Ukrainian gamers are feeling.
Her compatriot, Lesia Tsurenko, had mentioned earlier this month that the gamers had requested for a gathering after she pulled out of Indian Wells forward of a conflict with Aryna Sabelenka of Belarus.
Kostyuk mentioned the request had up to now been ignored.
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“Sure, we needed to have the assembly with the board and we didn’t get one. No reply, nothing, simply silence,” she instructed reporters.
The WTA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from AFP.
Kostyuk mentioned she didn’t wish to go into particulars concerning the points that the gamers wished to debate.
“I imply, as soon as we’re within the assembly we are able to discuss it. Earlier than the assembly, I don’t assume it’s a good suggestion to speak about what we wish to discuss there,” she mentioned.
Potapova obtained a proper warning from the WTA after carrying a Spartak Moscow soccer shirt earlier than a match in Indian Wells and Kostyuk didn’t seem impressed by that response.
“There are a variety of issues that I don’t agree with that WTA is doing. This not going to alter something,” she mentioned.
“I’ll simply get extra hate on-line. No matter I say, I’ll get a variety of hate. I don’t know. Warning, no matter. You give her a warning… You’ll be able to droop somebody, I don’t know. I can’t touch upon that actually, it’s simply humorous,” she mentioned.
Tsurenko’s coach, Nikita Vlasov, has been extremely important of the WTA in feedback reported by Ukrainian web sites and world primary Iga Swiatek of Poland has referred to as for extra to be achieved.
“I really feel extra must be achieved to assist Ukrainian gamers as a result of every little thing we talk about in tennis is about Belarusian and Russian gamers,” she mentioned.
There’s stress
On Tuesday Sabalenka mentioned she had confronted “hate” within the locker room and prompt she had been in a row with Vlasov.
Requested about tensions, the 20-year-old Kostyuk mentioned she had not been concerned in any incidents however mentioned there was an apparent actuality.
“I may not say, ‘Hello,’ to some gamers, however I by no means approached anybody, by no means talked to anybody. Perhaps I actually unfold hate simply by being there,” she mentioned.
“I don’t know what folks give you. Clearly, there may be stress, we’re not associates, we’re at conflict in the meanwhile.”
Kostyuk, ranked thirty eighth on the earth, gained her first WTA title earlier this month, beating Russian Varvara Gracheva on the ATX Open in Austin.
Requested whether or not she was in a position to block out ideas of conflict when she was on court docket, Kostyuk mentioned:
“It is determined by the day. I by no means know. I can assume what I wish to assume, I can do what I can do, however the second I step out on the court docket I don’t know what I’m going to get out of myself,” she mentioned, including that she did attempt to keep away from information forward of video games.
“I believe it’s simply wholesome to keep away from any type of information as a result of largely for the previous yr a lot of the information I obtain are horrible and dangerous.
“I believe it’s drowning to only learn the information total it doesn’t matter what it’s about.”
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