'Still suffering': Iga Swiatek calls out rivals over Ukraine support
World No.1 Iga Swiatek has questioned why some players have abandoned wearing the blue and yellow of Ukraine at tournaments, despite the war still going on.
The 20-year-old continues to showcase her imperious form after claiming her fifth tournament in a row with the Italian Open crown.
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Swiatek extended her remarkable streak to 28 victories in a row as she defeated Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 at the final in Rome.
However, after the final, Swiatek addressed an issue she had noticed throughout the last couple of tournaments.
The 20-year-old Pole has been wearing blue and yellow bands in her hair in support of Ukraine during Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
But, Swiatek has questioned why some players have taken off the colours in the last few weeks.
"I know that many players played with ribbons at the beginning of the war where all the fuss was a little bit more loud," she said post-match.
"I realised that some of them took them off, which is for me pretty weird because there is still war, there are people still suffering."
The World No.1 has now won 42 of her last 43 sets and has cemented her spot as the clear WTA World No.1 in 2022.
Swiatek said she is looking forward to some rest, before her quest for a second Roland Garros title.
Tennis world divided over Wimbledon ban
The ATP is currently in a midst of a divide over Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, while the war in Ukraine continues.
A number of the world's top male tennis players have reportedly taken umbrage with Rafa Nadal's stance on Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players after it emerged that the ATP is planning to strip rankings points from the grass-court event in June.
The ATP tour has reportedly decided that players won't be able to receive rankings points at Wimbledon in retaliation to the All England Club's decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus.
Nadal, who sits on the ATP player council, appears to be in favour of the ATP's move and addressed the situation at the Italian Open last Wednesday.
The 21-time grand slam champion, who previously said it was "unfair" that players from Russia and Belarus won't be allowed to play, refused to disclose details of “private conversations” with the 10-person player council.
“At the end, that’s our job: to protect the players and to work [to] the benefit of every single player that we are representing.”
While Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have expressed similar sentiments, the Telegraph in the UK reports that their views are not shared by the entire ATP cohort.
On Saturday, British player Liam Broady led calls for a vote on the idea of Wimbledon being stripped of ranking points.
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