Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska thinks Wimbledon did the right by imposing player ban on Russian and Belarusian players. Last Wednesday, Wimbledon confirmed what had been speculated for weeks - this year's Wimbledon edition won't feature any Russian or Belarusian players.
Wimbledon received mixed reaction to their decision as some players supported their decision, some thougt mixing politics with sports wasn't a good thing, while some preferred to stay neutral. "How would I be able to play against those players at the tournament when all the world is talking about the war that is being fought against Ukraine? So I think the decision they are making is right.
"I think the decision they made is very respectful, they did the right thing. What they’ve done for Ukraine is the right thing. Other players (Ukrainian) are supporting it as well."
Yastremska: Players will be angry if there are no points
Apparantly, there is a chance the ATP and WTA decide to take away points from this year's Wimbledon.
Both ATP and WTA made it clear they weren't happy with Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players. "For sure if they take points away many players are going to start being very angry," Yastremska added. Last week, Elina Svitolina and several other Ukrainian players shared a message in which they demanded Russian and Belarusian players answer three questions.
Ukrainian players have nothing Russian and Belarusian players competing as long as they make it publicly clear they are absolutely against what is happening in Ukraine. “We don’t want them banned completely,” Svitolina said on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“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. 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."