KVSP 
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina says she will not participate in the Monterrey Open if she has to face an opponent from Russia or Belarus. The top-seeded player in the tournament would rather withdraw from the Mexican event than face athletes from the two countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
Svitolina is set to face Anastasia Potapova of Russia in the opening round of the tournament on Tuesday.
“I want to announce that I will not play tomorrow in Monterrey, nor any other match against Russian or Belarusian tennis players until our organizations take this necessary decision,” she said.
The 27-year-old took to Twitter to express her feelings on the tournament. She emphasized that she does not blame any of the Russian and Belarusian players for what is taking place in Ukraine and thanked them for standing up against the war.
Here’s what Svitolina wrote:
“I believe the current situation requires a clear position from our organizations: ATP, WRA and ITF. As such, we — Ukrainian players — requested to ATP, WTA and IOC to accept Russian and Belarusian nationals only as neutral athletes, without displaying any national symbols, colours, flags or anthems … I do not blame any of the Russian athletes. They are not responsible for the inaction of our motherland. Moreover, I wish to pay tribute to all the players, especially Russians and Belarusians, who bravely stated their position against the war. Their support is essential.”
The International Tennis Federation has indefinitely canceled all events taking place in Russia and no events will be scheduled to take place in Belarus this year, due to the war. They also postponed an event taking place in Ukraine in April due to “heightened security concerns.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also called for sports organizations across the world to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international play.
Svitolina is currently the No. 15-ranked women’s tennis player in the world and is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist with 16 tour-level single titles on her resume.
