“Wimbledon did the right thing,” Iga Swiatek’s coach Tomasz Wiktorowski speaks his mind on the issue of banning Russian players
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Tomasz Wiktorowski commented on Russian players ban at Wimbledon
The heated controversy over the ban by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) on Russian and Belarusian players has not died down. This ban resulted in the Russian and Belarusian players losing the opportunity to compete in Wimbledon and other tournaments held within the territory of the United Kingdom. It also resulted in ATP and WTA fining the LTA.
That’s not all, the controversy has also divided tennis fans, coaches, players, and the community at large. Both sides of the spectrum have given their reasons and participated in the debate. Former Polish tennis player and current coach of Iga Swiatek, Tomasz Wiktorowski has called the ban on Russian and Belarusian players ‘the right thing to do’.
“Personally, I think Wimbledon did the right thing by treating tennis players from Russia and Belarus firmly. Daria Kasatkina is the only player from that part of the world with whom I talk at all. Just like her trainer. We are not friends, we do not spend time together, but we do not shy away from each other, quite the opposite. We train with her as the only Russian woman,” he opined in an interview.
“The tour took it very softly. Tough decisions should be made earlier. Now that’s mustard after dinner. As WTA, we stopped going to China because of the Shuai Peng case, but how does that compare to what’s happening now in Ukraine? What happened in February deserved a much stronger response. Iga also communicated her beliefs on the war in Ukraine many times,” Tomasz Wiktorowski further added.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek has supported Ukraine since the war began. She also raised funds for the Ukrainian people to rebuild their country.
Iga Swiatek win the WTA Player of the Year Award
The first Polish woman to win a Grand Slam, Iga Swiatek has had a dream run this year. She won 6 WTA singles titles and 2 Grand Slam singles titles this year. She became the World No.1. And the dream continue to churn more honors and awards for the Polish player.
World No.1 is chosen as the Player of the Year. Besides, her many tennis players are also honored. Barbora Krejcikova and Kristina Siniakova won the Doubles Team of the Year Award. Beatriz Haddad Maia won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Chinese sensation won the Newcomer of the Year Award. While Tatjana Maria won the Comeback Player of the Year Award. World No.2 and Wimbledon 2022 finalist Ons Jabeur won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award.
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