The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced its position this week, which is similar to that of the French Open.
Follow Us
Elina Svitolina, the former world number three, has stated that she does not agree with the US Open’s decision to allow Russian players to compete in the New York grand slam. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced its position this week, which is similar to that of the most recent major tournament, the French Open, but differs from that of the next major tournament on the calendar, Wimbledon, which has had its ranking points stripped by the ATP and WTA men’s and women’s tours.
As a result of Russia’s military action in Svitolina’s native country of Ukraine, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) opted to prohibit Russians this year, and the 27-year-old indicated she hoped the USTA would take a similar stance. It’s their decision to make, they decided to take this path,” she said to Reuters. “I don’t support it because I feel like they should have taken more serious action,” she added.
Read More – US Open 2022: Russian, Belarusian players allowed to compete
“For us it was not really understandable why we didn’t get support from them. I feel like it created tension between us,” Svitolina further said. Svitolina, who is married to fellow professional Gael Monfils and is presently ranked 40th in the WTA, announced that she is pregnant and would have to take a vacation from tennis. “Right now I feel like the last time I held the racket was like 20 years ago. I really want to compete at the (2024) Olympics in Paris. This is my goal. But it’s not the first thing that I’m thinking right now,” said the Ukrainian.
Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete in the 2022 US Open as long as they compete under a neutral flag, according to organisers. In its announcement Tuesday, the US Tennis Association, which administers the tournament, echoed its prior condemnations of Russia’s unprovoked and illegitimate invasion of Ukraine, while also stating that all eligible players regardless of nationality are welcome to compete.
“Tennis has done much through Tennis Plays for Peace for humanitarian support of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the need for help only continues to grow. The USTA will be responding very soon with a broad set of initiatives that will include significant financial assistance and other programs to further support humanitarian relief and the people of Ukraine,” Chairman Mike McNulty said in a statement.
