CNN
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The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has “officially cautioned” Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova after she was seen wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt ahead of her match against American Jessica Pegula in Indian Wells, an official said on Thursday. CNN spokesperson.
World No.1 Iga Świątek criticized the WTA for allowing Potapova to wear the jersey, saying on Tuesday that “more should be done to help Ukrainian players because everything we discuss in tennis is about Belarusian and Russian players”.
Potopova has been photographed wearing the shirt on several occasions, including in Dubai in a photo she posted on her own Instagram account.
In an email to CNN, WTA spokesperson Amy Binder said: “Regarding the Russian football team jersey, the WTA has officially notified the player that it is neither acceptable or appropriate action.
“We don’t expect this to happen again in the future.”
Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko was scheduled to face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in Indian Wells, California, but did not end up in court on Monday, with Reuters news agency reporting that Tsurenko pulled out for personal reasons.
Asked about Tsurenko at his post-match press conference on Tuesday, 21-year-old Polish star Świątek said: “I totally understand why she pulled out, because honestly I respect Ukrainian girls so much. , because if like a bomb landed in my country or if my house was destroyed, I don’t know if I could bear it.
Asked about Świątek’s comments on Wednesday, Russian Daniil Medvedev said he felt sorry for Ukrainian players competing as war rages in their home country.
The 2021 US Open winner added: “Of course, the situation with Tsurenko, I don’t know it in detail. It’s more up to her and perhaps a little (to) Sabalenka to answer, because I only found out the next day.
“Of course we have a responsibility (to talk about the issue) and it depends on how each person, individual, will make it.
“I’ve always said the same thing, I’m for peace everywhere and that’s all I can say.”
As of March 12, at least 8,231 civilians have been killed and 13,734 injured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24 last year, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. man (OHCHR).
The OHCHR said it believed the actual figures were “significantly higher, as receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities took place has been delayed and many reports are still awaiting confirmation”.
