“Not one of them publicly stood up against the invasion,” Sergiy Stakhovsky urges Wimbledon to continue ban on Russian players

Sergiy Stakhovsky called on Wimbledon to again ban Russian and Belarusian players from entering its haloed grounds for this year’s competition. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and UK Government had univocally condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and banned players originating from Russia and Ukraine to play in any of the ATP or WTA tournaments including the Grand Slam event in the wake of this war.

Both the ATP and WTA took strict action against the LTA slapping fines. Also, it stripped Wimbledon of ranking points that are given to players based on their performance every year in this tournament. Hence, Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina missed out on important ranking points despite being winners of the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles titles, respectively.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will take the decision on a ban on Russian and Belarusian players for the Wimbledon 2023. However, Sergiy Stakhovsky wants Wimbledon to forbid players from Belarus and Russia to play in this year’s Wimbledon competition.

“It has got worse because the numbers of this war grow and they grow fast. Nothing has changed in a significant way to allow them to compete,” the Ukrainian tennis player-turned soldier said in an interview given from a bunker as he help his nation in the war effort.

“I would ban them. Not one of them publicly stood up and said that he or she is against the invasion. If there was one, there would be another. If everyone is silent, everyone else thinks everything is fine and they are doing what they should do,” he argued in favour of banning Russian and Belarusian player providing more reasons.

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Sergiy Stakhovsky wants more aid to flow into Ukraine

The player who defeated Roger Federer in Wimbledon 2013, appreciated the kind of support British people and Wimbledon gave to Ukraine.

“Unfortunately Wimbledon didn’t find any support in any of the other Slams but I guess that is what makes Wimbledon special. It was never about the money. Wimbledon is about different values and they always stood out. Even in the way we compete at Wimbledon in white clothes, it stands for tradition, it stands for different values. And those values are what makes Wimbledon a very different tournament from all the others. It was never about the money,” he continued.

However, he is also urging the Britons to do more for Ukraine.

“I have seen death, destruction, desperation, despair. This is a full-scale war. Missiles are landing all over Ukraine. For how long? It is going to be as long as we are breathing. Because unfortunately, we are dependent on the support we get from the world, and Great Britain, he said.

Sergiy Stakhovsky stressed on the need for aid to the Ukrainian people and the war effort.

“If we are not going to get that support and the Russians break through that line, then we are going to be fighting city to city. It is going to be the scenario of Syria because Ukrainians will not give up,” he added further.

“It is going to be guerrilla warfare. But what the rest of the world is really under-estimating is that once Russia, in five years, in ten years if we don’t get the support, once they are going to roll over Ukraine or create this no-man’s land in Ukraine, the next step is that they are going to be attacking Europe,” he warned.

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