Eliminated by a Russian from Roland Garros, a Ukrainian player launched harsh criticism and calls for action: “They have horrible beliefs”
Oleksandra Oliynykova, world number 65 in women's tennis, was beaten in the third round at Roland Garros by world number 23 Diana Shnaider, and in the press conference after the match she criticized the Russian players.
The Ukrainian complained that Russian female tennis players were allowed to participate in international tournaments even though they took part in events sponsored by Russian companies with ties to Moscow's war effort or, she claims, even after promoting Russia's positions on the war on social media.
During the week, Oliynykova had accused Shnaider of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.
“The Russian players, let's be honest, don't want to communicate. They have these horrible beliefs. For me, it's something that I think we need to stop accepting in professional sports,” the Ukrainian tennis player said in the press conference on Saturday.
“If they don't want to hear it and continue to spread this propaganda, then there should be a mechanism in our circuit to stop it,” she said.
“If I'm going to stay silent (…), I don't see any point in being here. I think the mission of this sport is to unite people to stay together for some right things. The silence here in the circuit is dangerous, and this is not right,” added Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian and Belarusian tennis players have competed on the men's and women's circuit as neutral players without national representation, as has happened in other sports or events, including the Olympics.
“I know some people don't agree with my actions. I know some people would prefer me to remain silent. But what I'm doing is not about politics, it's about humanity,” Oliynykova said.
“When people are killed, while children die, when violence is justified or celebrated (…), we cannot protect those who support or excuse such actions,” continued the Ukrainian player.
Diana Shnaider's reaction
The Russian was asked about the statements made by Oliynykova. In response, Shnaider said he did not hear them and that he participated in demonstration tours in Russia as a way to return to see his family.
“In terms of social media, I have no idea what he found. I have no idea, so I have no comment to make on that,” Diana Shnaider also said.
