While Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from many sports since the invasion of Ukraine, they can still take part in tennis tournaments. Former Ukrainian player Alexandr Dolgopolov said in an interview with RTL on Monday that the organizers of Roland-Garros “lack courage” and called for “banning Russia” from the world of tennis. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) indicated last Wednesday that the door to the Parisian Grand Slam event (May 22-June 5) would not be closed for Russian players, including Daniil Medvedev (world No. 2), and Belarusians.
” They [les organisateurs de Roland-Garros] lack courage, they especially do not want to assume possible consequences. Frankly, it is not enough to say that we are against war. It is a war against our nation, which affects our civilians,” said the former winner of three tournaments on the ATP circuit who, at 33, returned to kyiv in mid-March to take up arms and defend his country.
“Strict neutrality” imposed by the organizers
“We impose strict neutrality on Russian and Belarusian players,” FFT general manager Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on Wednesday during a press conference. We remain on the principle of all the Sports Ministries of the European Union and of all the key countries around us. “We only ban an individual athlete if he has been selected by his country. This is the framework, we stick to it, ”she justified. “For now,” added the president of the FFT Gilles Moretton.
In addition to the organizers of Roland-Garros, Aleksandr Dolgopolov also challenged the leaders of world tennis. “I said it to the ATP: tennis has a very loose posture today. I think the tennis world makes decisions that lack courage. Russia must be banned from what is run by the free world. Because today, saying: “I am against war” is insufficient. Their athletes must condemn their government, recognize that these are mass murders, ”he insisted.
The former player thus invited Russian tennis players to dissociate themselves from their government and to firmly affirm their opposition to the war. “They are good guys, I know them personally. I’m pretty sure they’re against this war. But if they take a neutral position, like “I’m against the war” it’s like saying to us “Leave it to me, I live my life in my corner, I don’t want to be involved, I just want to play tennis”. This position is not tenable today, sorry, ”he said.
