By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday April 21, 2022
Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, known for their conscience and support of human rights, have come out in opposition of Wimbledon’s decision to ban of Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Championships.
King released a statement on Twitter, saying:
“The decision of the LTA and AELTC regarding the Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s tournament was a difficult and complex undertaking, and I appreciate the challenges and pressures they are facing.
“One of the guiding principles of the founding of the WTA was that any girl in the world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete. I stood by that in 1973 and I stand by that today. I cannot support the banning of individual athletes from any tournament, simply because of their nationality.
“Tennis is stronger when we stand together, and our continued support of the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which provides meaningful support and resourcdes to Ukraine, needs to be our focus.”
Martina Navratilova was reduced to tears when talking about Wimbledon’s decision in an interview.
"The Russian and Belarusian players, some have even expressed, vocalised, their opposition to the war,” she said. "As a player growing up, this is the one you dream about the most. And now because of politics not to be able to play, unless you denounce your country and leave, and risk your family's well being as well as your own, maybe never to be able to return to Russia. It's a big ask for the players to ask them this.”
Ukrainian Players Believe the Ban is Just
On the flip side of the story, Ukrainian players believe that the ban is just.
Olga Savchuk, former pro and current Billie Jean King Cup Captain for Ukraine, says that nobody should be immune to sanctions.
“It cannot just be a sanction against 90 percent of the Russian people and 10 percent not,” Savchuk told Christopher Clarey of the New York Times. “If you think about it, why is somebody who works in McDonald’s in Russia losing their job because of sanctions and the tennis players are exceptions? It has to be even, and I think it’s collective guilt.”
In a Twitter reply, Marta Kostyuk rebutted the theory, espoused by some players, that money is what is really needed for Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs peace and freedom that we are dying for right now,” she wrote. “Not money. Anyone who thinks that decision like this one is targeting players personally is pretty selfish. Players are great part of propaganda and big example to their fans. Silence is a betrayal.”