Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko hits out at players over Russian tennis ‘propaganda’

MELBOURNE — Ukrainian No 2 Lesia Tsurenko says she has lost respect for players who played in a Gazprom-sponsored exhibition in St Petersburg last month.

Adrian Mannarino and Roberto Bautista Agut were among the non-Russians who took part in the three-day event in December, both telling i that it was a tennis-based decision to attend.

But Tsurenko says she successfully talked Bautista Agut out of going to the 2022 version, but this year did not speak to him. Mannarino meanwhile said he is “not into politics” and “just went there”.

Asked if she had lost respect for players over the decision to go, Tsurenko replied: “Yes. Can I say yes? Yes.

“If they want to say that this is politics, I don’t think that this is politics.

“I think it’s about simple things, simple understanding of how this world works. That’s definitely not politics. That’s their choice.”

Tsurenko added: “I used to be in a good relationship with even a lot of Russian and Belarusian players, but not anymore just because it’s impossible.

“Plus, I don’t have respect just for the fact that for most of them it was even impossible to come and say a few words, that they are not agree with what’s going on in my country.”

Mannarino had told i earlier this week that “I’m a professional tennis player. I’m not into politics or anything. I just went there. I did my job. That’s what I did.”

Bautista Agut meanwhile said that he wanted to play as many matches as possible after a period of injury during the 2023 season.

“That’s his decision. That’s everyone’s decision,” Tsurenko added.

“But in my opinion, the players, especially from Europe, should not take part in propaganda of the tennis federation of the aggressor country. And I think they should not take part in promotion of the biggest war sponsor.”

Tsurenko did not want to say the company’s name but was referring to Gazprom, the Russian oil and gas giant majority owned by the government and the country’s single biggest taxpayer.

“What I’ve texted to people [is] that you go to promote the company that is sponsoring a bombing of my country and of my closest relatives,” Tsurenko said.

“I want them to feel a little bit for me and for other Ukrainians because especially when that exhibiton was on, there was like heavy bombings.

“It is very painful for me but people don’t understand and this is sad. I don’t think that that’s politics. I think this is just a simple understanding of some basic things.”