The All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, decided to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian players for this year’s Wimbledon tournament. Last year, Wimbledon banned the players from Russia, and Moscow-allied Belarus due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova criticized the decision, saying that as she doesn’t support the war, the players from both countries shouldn’t even be allowed to participate even in the Olympics. This statement from the former world No.1 invited criticism from fans from around the world.
Following her semi-final win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the Miami Open 2024, Kvitova was asked about Wimbledon’s decision. To this, Kvitova opined that the players shouldn’t be allowed to play in the season’s third Grand Slam tournament. Also Read: Chris Evert Becomes A Victim Of An April Fool’s Prank Featuring Carlos Alcaraz
“Well, first of all, for sure. I always state like against the war. For sure, I’m just more worried about the Ukrainian people and players,” Kvitova said.
“I appreciate that Wimbledon had a tough time last year not giving the points, that Belarusian and Russian didn’t play. And I think they shouldn’t be allowed, either to the Olympics. I’m just still a bit on the Ukrainian side of this,” she added.
The 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion stated that she is particularly concerned about these players’ involvement in the Olympics because “I feel the Olympic Games are just because we don’t want war in the world.” She added by saying that she appreciated Wimbledon’s decision last year. Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Vs Jannik Sinner Match Prediction, Head-To-Head, Preview, And Live Stream| Miami Open 2024
Tennis Twitter slammed Petra Kvitova over her remarks against Russian and Belarusian players
Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to ban players from entering the country to play the tournament. But on Friday, they lifted the ban to allow “neutral” athletes.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide on the participation of players from Russian and Belarusian athletes later. However, Ukraine has threatened to boycott the event if Russian players are allowed at the Games.
Talking about the semi-final, Kvitova, with a 7-5, 6-4 win, advanced to the summit clash of the Miami Open in a match that lasted an hour and 41 minutes. In the final, she shocked world No. 10 Elena Rybakina 7-6 (14), 6-2 to deny the Kazakh her dream Sunshine Double. They also set the record for the longest tiebreak ever played in WTA 1000 finals history. Also Read: Daniil Medvedev Vs Jannik Sinner Match Prediction, Head-To-Head, Preview, And Live Stream| Miami Open 2024
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