Stuttgart – German tennis champion Eva Lys wants the women’s professional organisation WTA to call on Russian players to take a clear stand in the face of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
She knows that she is speaking from the heart of many players on the professional tour, said the 20-year-old after her surprising opening victory in her WTA main draw debut in Stuttgart.
But she also explained: “Since tennis is an individual sport, you have to say that players who come from such countries should not be directly labelled.” However, she said a statement from the WTA was important. Lys was born in Kiev before she came to Germany with her parents as a small child. She still has relatives living in the Ukrainian capital. Tennis helps her to take her mind off the war.
The court is a place for me where I can completely switch off. As soon as I leave the court, I can’t deny what’s happening, especially because I’m very affected by my family,” said the qualifier from Hamburg’s Club an der Alster: “It does affect you. It’s a topic that we deal with every day, which I think should continue to be very much in the public eye,” said Lys, also adding with regard to her passion for tennis: “Nevertheless, every person should continue to do what they can in their life.”
The 20-year-old, who is ranked 342nd in the world, had earlier caused a big surprise. Lys defeated Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland, who is ranked around 300 places higher than her, in the first round 5:7, 7:5, 7:5.
