‘None of Them Asked About My Opinion’ – Ukrainian Player Bashes Victoria Azarenka and Other Player Council Members Over Their Lack of Communication in Wimbledon Row

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk has had a difficult time in recent months due to the circumstances in her country. She lost in the first round at the French Open to Egyptian tennis player, Mayar Sherif.

Recently, she opened up about the decision of the ATP and the WTA to remove ranking points from the Wimbledon championships. Also, she criticized 2-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka and other council members. 

Marta Kostyuk supports Wimbledon’s decision as she criticizes Victoria Azarenka and other council members

In a recent interview with Reuters, Kostyuk criticized ATP and WTA’s decision and supported Wimbledon’s decision. “I would say 80-85% of the players had nothing to do with the (WTA) decision. It’s so ridiculous I couldn’t believe it,” she stated. 

“None of the players’ representatives contacted me. None of them asked about my opinion, what I think. It’s like Ukrainian players don’t exist. I’ve been trying to be as vocal as possible but you feel hopeless most of the time about the situation. I’m still 19. What can I say? It’s not easy,” she further said about not getting to know about the decision. 

Also, she commented on Victoria Azarenka’s place in the player’s council, and her influence in making the decision to strip ranking points from Wimbledon. “Victoria Azarenka is in the players’ board, deciding about points in Wimbledon, where she’s not even participating. And saying that she has no personal interest in making decisions. Just the fact that she’s present there on the calls, doing whatever. It’s ridiculous.” 

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It is worth noting that earlier, Wimbledon took the decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from taking part in this year’s Wimbledon. In response to that, governing bodies, such as ATP, WTA, and ITF, removed ranking points from Wimbledon. Almost the entire tennis fraternity reacted to the decision.

Other players are not happy about the decision of ATP and WTA 

Former Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov heavily condemned ATP’s decision on Twitter. According to him, ATP supported the propaganda, as he felt it was a “Very poor decision.”

Another Ukrainian, Sergiy Stakhovsky, who joined the military forces to help his country during the conflict, also criticized a Russian journalist for sharing the news about ATP’s decision. In a similar way, French tennis star Benoit Paire also called ATP’s decision “Stupid Decision.”

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Earlier, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic criticized Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian players. Meanwhile, World no.1 in women’s tennis, Iga Swiatek, continues to support her neighboring country, as she continued to wear the Ukrainian ribbon during her matches. 

Meanwhile, Wimbledon also expressed its disappointment with ATP and WTA, as they released a statement. 

What’s your view regarding ATP and WTA’s decision on Wimbledon? Let us know in the comments.