Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk has demanded that the WTA, ATP and ITF ask Russian players questions about their feelings towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict if they are to continue to have a career in the sport – whilst also praising Wimbledon for their decision to ban stars from the super nation.
Tensions increased in Eastern Europe when Russia declared their invasion of Ukraine on February 24. A war has raged on ever since, with Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky even returning to his country to take part in the war.
And that has not stopped Kostyuk giving her input on the matter. Kostyuk, 19, has been dubbed as one of the most controversial tennis players across the globe after she said she “dreamt of being Novak Djokovic’s wife”.
And the star has again caused a stir by demanding tennis’ leading governing bodies ban those from Russia and Belarus. “We noticed that some tennis players from Belarus and Russia mentioned the war at some point, but at no time did they say that their countries started them on the territory of Ukraine,” Kostyuk stated.
“Therefore, we ask the organizations WTA, ATP and ITF to make sure that the players representing these countries answer the following questions. Do you support the invasion of Russia and Belarus on the territory of Ukraine, which caused the war?
“Do you support the military activities of Russia and Belarus in Ukraine? Do you support the Putin and Lukashenko regimes?
“We demand that you expel all Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions, as Wimbledon has already done. There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now.” Kostyuk will look to improve on last year’s third round exit at Wimbledon when the tournament starts in just over a month’s time.
