‘Tennis Community Does Not Support Ukraine Enough’- Daria Saville on Insensitivity in the Sport

In the wake of the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict, the organizers of the Wimbledon Championship took measures that seemed apt to them. Last month they declared that the competition will not act host to players from Russia and Belarus. However, the decision made in goodwill didn’t receive the response the organizers expected. Tennis fans flooded the social media platforms with comments denouncing the decision. In fact, several athletes also spoke against the move.

However, Wimbledon stood firm on its decision. Therefore, as a response, both ATP and WTA stripped the tournament of its ranking points. The counteraction faced some heat, mainly from Ukrainian tennis players and fans. But now other players such as the Australian tennis professional, Daria Saville, have finally decided to speak about the lack of support for Ukraine in tennis.

Daria Saville speaks about an important matter

The 28-year-old addressed how Ukraine’s problems are the least of tennis people’s concern and said, “To be honest, probably the tennis community does not support Ukraine enough. I must say that I am very upset by the decision of the ATP and WTA on Wimbledon. It turns out that they punish everyone. I can’t even imagine how the Ukrainian players are feeling right now. They probably feel like the other side was chosen and not theirs. I’m really sorry that this is happening”. (Google Translate)

Saville played under the Russian flag till 2015 and then migrated to Australia and currently represents the continent on tours. Also, she used her maiden name till she tied the knot with former World No. 23 Luke Saville in 2021.

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She recently tested her luck at the French Open. Saville managed a to secure a run till the third round of the tournament, when top players such as Naomi Osaka packed their bags in the very first round.

Saville’s performances this year

After calling off her first match in the Monterrey Open, the Australian tennis ace stepped onto the hard courts of Indian Wells. There she fought tooth and nails to defeat the 2022 Madrid Open champion Ons Jabeur in the three sets of 7-5, 6 – 7 (0), 6-4. Thereafter, she defeated the Belgian Elise Mertens but failed to secure her seat in the quarterfinals against Maria Sakkari, due to an injury.

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Following that, Saville took part in the 2022 Miami Open, where she made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. At Miami, Swiss tennis professional Belinda Bencic, the eventual semifinalist of the event, got the better of her in straight sets of 6-1, 6-2.