German tennis champion Eva Lys has criticised the behaviour of some Russian players in an interview. The Ukrainian-born player criticised disrespectful behaviour.
German tennis champion Eva Lys has strongly criticised the behaviour of Russian players on the WTA Tour in the face of the war in Ukraine. “Many Russian players who are here behave disrespectfully towards those who are affected by the Ukraine war,” Lys said in a Eurosport interview. “They laugh about it, make fun of it. Some demonstratively put on a tracksuit in the Russian national colours,” said Lys, who is currently taking part in a minor tournament in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. “It is all the more important that we spread strongly and widely what is really happening. This message has to reach everyone.”
Lys was born in Kiev before she came to Germany with her parents as a small child. Today, she still has relatives living in the Ukrainian capital. Lys tries to keep in touch with them as much as possible. “When we talk on the phone, the bomb blasts can be heard through the phone. People are helpless in the face of the attacks, but they are incredibly brave,” Lys said.
The tennis world federation ITF as well as ATP and WTA had last decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian teams from all competitions. The players are still allowed to participate in tournaments, but not under their flag.