The sports world immediately reacted to the Kremlin’s decision. Different athletes and entities determined to break contracts with Russian sponsors, change competition venues or directly sanction the Eurasian giant.
One of the first athletes to take a strong stand was Elina Svitolina, perhaps the most important tennis player in Ukraine. Hours after the beginning of the military actions, she announced that if she had to play against rivals from Russia or Belarus – a nation that allowed the entry of Russian troops – she would withdraw from the Monterrey tournament. Finally, the WTA ordered that the competitors from both countries play without national representation, that is, without flags or identifications.
Tennis is no stranger to conflict. For example, the Central Court of Wimbledon functioned as a field hospital during the Second World War and was repeatedly bombed. There are countless cases of players who were persecuted by governments or had to flee their countries, as happened to the Czech Martina Navratilova, who was finally exiled in the US.
The series of Davis Cup Come in Argentina and Czech Republic was affected, at least empathetically, by the invasion. Tennis is a globalized sport and many of its participants often get involved with colleagues from all over the planet. Therefore, it is not surprising to claim William Coriaalbiceleste captain, before the consultation of Ambit: “The world has to make a decision, because this can be dangerous”.
The governing bodies of tennis -ITF, ATP, WTA and the four Grand Slams-, resolved in the last hours suspend the federations of Russia and Belarus both as members of the entities and for team competitions, although individually the players will be able to play the tournaments. Meanwhile, all the appointments of both countries in the different circuits were canceled.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine. We congratulate all players who have spoken out or acted against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their demands for the end of hostilities and the return of peace,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
Diego Schwartzman He is the leader of the Argentine team and did not hesitate to give his opinion on the subject: “What is happening is a disaster, I hope it ends as soon as possible. Many people who have nothing to do with it are dying, due to conflicts that governments have”.
However, he disagreed with the decisions of the tennis government, since “it does not seem to me that it is right to remove the players who clearly expressed themselves against the war; Yes, I would agree if they were in favour. The Russians who play Davis Cup spoke out against it.”
The first Russian to speak out on the subject was Andrey Rublev, number 6 in the world. One day after the invasion, he defeated the Pole Hubert Hurkacz and in the traditional signature on the lens of the TV camera he wrote “No to war, please”.
Undoubtedly, the most anticipated words were those of Medvedev, whose role was undermined by the tragic news. “My day is a roller coaster of feelings,” he declared.
“As a tennis player I want to promote peace around the world. We play in many different countries. It is not easy to hear all these news. I am in favor of peace. Right now you understand that tennis is not that important.”he added.
The most categorical of the Argentine players was Horace Zeballoswho described the situation as “dire” and “stupid”. “It makes me so old-fashioned to see armed men, fighting, throwing bombs. Hopefully it can be cut soon, that the entire community and everyone come together to support the no to war “he said before this medium.
Towards the same side went the Spanish Rafael Nadal, who during the Acapulco tournament, where he was champion last week, weighed: “At this point and in the century we are in, it seems incredible to me that there are wars.” “I can’t understand it,” he said, and wished “it’s over now.”
“Internally, we are worried, we see the news and it is terrible. That in 2022 this is happening is not normal. The world in general is sad to have a war and that anything can happen, we don’t know how it can end,” Coria expanded.
The Argentine captain warned about a not minor detail about this weekend’s rival: the proximity of the Czech Republic to the conflict zone. “We play against a neighboring country and they can easily have relatives on one side or the other”, he lamented. The European cast did not express itself in this regard.
Days after the start of hostilities, the tennis government made its decisions and they are not minor: Russia is the reigning Davis Cup champion. Argentina earned a place in the 2022 Qualifiers last September when they defeated Belarus. The season is still in the making and waiting for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
