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Iga Swiatek admitted she was surprised by Anastasia Potapova's decision to enter the court in Indian Wells wearing the jersey of a Russian football club Spartak Moscow. On Monday, world No 28 Potapova wore a Spartak Moscow jersey when she was entering the court for her Indian Wells third-round match against Jessica Pegula.
Potapova's controversial decision drew ire as many thought that she was sending a political message in the moments when everyone is condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine.Imagen de hoy en Indian Wells #TennisParadise
🇷🇺Anastasia POTAPOVA, tenista rusa, saltando a la pista con la camiseta del Spartak de Moscú, equipo de su país.
Días después de la decisión de Wimbledon de permitir la vuelta de los rusos, la imagen es… provocativa cuanto menos.pic.twitter.com/e7bczm3LtG — Carlos Navarro (@TheMagician5GS) March 13, 2023
Potapova later defended herself by claiming that she is a Spartak fan and nothing more than that. Swiatek spoke to the WTA about the situation, who reassured her those situations will not happen.
Swiatek on the Potapova controversy
"I was surprised as I thought she realised that she should not, even if she is a fan of the team, show her views at such times.
I talked to the WTA and I found out that these situations will probably be less, as they will explain to players that it is not allowed to promote any Russian teams now, which reassured me a little bit. On the other hand, I think the message should have been sent much earlier," Swiatek told Przeglad Sportowy, as revealed by Diego Barbiani.
On the same day, Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko claimed WTA CEO Steve Simon told her she should not be upset if there were Russian and Belarusian players supporting their governments.Potapova said she is fan of Spartak Moscow since 2017 yet couldn't name a single player from the team.
Swiatek: "I was surprised as I thought she realised that she should not, even if she is a fan of the team, show her views at such times" https://t.co/Kl7vLMgQZm — Diego Barbiani (@Diego_Barbiani) March 14, 2023
"A few days ago I had a conversation with our WTA CEO Steve Simon and I was absolutely shocked by what I heard. He told me that he himself does not support the war, but if the players from Russia and Belarus support it, then this is only their own opinion, and the opinion of other people should not upset me.
At the same time, he noted that if this happened to him and he was in my place, he would feel terrible," Tsurenko told BTU.