"Nothing has changed - the war continues". Tsurenko speaks harshly of Russians

Ukraine's No. 3 Lesya Tsurenko (WTA No. 66) does not understand what has changed dramatically after a year of Russia's full-scale invasion, and that Russians have begun to return to big sport around the world. The 33-year-old from Kyiv believes that it is still necessary to talk about the situation at every tournament.

"I don't see a clear reason for this simply because nothing has really changed. The war is still going on. If you made a decision a year ago, what made you change it? In my opinion, there is no reason for this," Tsurenko was quoted as saying by BTU.

She is convinced that the IOC's decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international competitions in a neutral status is a bad example for the future.

"I think all the sanctions and all this was done to show that you can't just invade another country, you can't just come to another country at 4am and start bombing it. So I think that's a strong message to send. And if we or other organisations take such steps backwards, we have to tell them that they are wrong, and we have to keep talking about it," Tsurenko said.

To recap, Lesya Tsurenko refused to take to the court against Orysia Sobolenko, a fan of the Lukashenko regime, after telling about a shocking conversation with the head of the WTA. After that, former Russian athlete Andrei Chesnokov called for the disqualification of Ukrainian athletes.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Tsurenko defeated Czech tennis player Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of Roland Garros. In the second round, the Ukrainian will play Lauren Davis of the United States on June 1.

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