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Russia loses players as Gasanova sets fire to nets

The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to have its impact on the sport. At Wimbledon, which did not distribute ATP or WTA points, Russian and Belarusian players were left unable to play. A situation that, among others, could be causing an exodus of players of these nationalities, interested in obtaining other passports so as not to see their careers diminished. Kazakhstan, a country for which several tennis players of Russian origin already play, such as Alexander Bublik or Elena Rybakina, champion at Wimbledon, would be one of the most demanded by those who choose to stop competing under the colors of the Russian flag.

This is stated, at least, by the vice president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, Yuriy Polskiy, who figure in more than thirty Russian players, of different ages and categories, who would have applied to obtain the Kazakh passport in recent months. “To date, there have been more than thirty requests, but this number is increasing every day. Most of them are children 12 years old or older. There are also professional players who would like to change their passport and play under our flag”, he reports. in statements collected by Eurosport. A practice that would not be possible for those who have already played with the Russian national team, either in the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup.

In his words, Polskiy also points to a good relationship between the Russian and Kazakh federations, showing himself, yes, always neutral in the face of armed conflict. “We are colleagues, there is respect and cooperation in many ways. For example, when this situation happened with Ukraine and Russia, we offered the possibility for both Russians and Ukrainians to train in Kazakhstan., on our land, in several cities. They came, organized training camps, participated in tournaments. There is this interaction. Kazakhstan has always been neutral, we are for friendship, for peace between countries”details.

“God did not give them brains, unfortunately”

While Russia loses players, Anastasia Gasanova, Russian and 154th in the WTA ranking, has set fire to the networks showing herself on the side of her country in the conflict, using her personal experience in Ukraine during 2014, when she was training in Odessa, as an argument. “Does anyone care that there were civilians? If in Ukraine there are ‘impacts’ of bombings on peaceful people it is a tragedy, but if it is in Russia ‘that is what they deserve’. God didn’t give them brains, unfortunately. Why are they so happy? If they want to recover Crimea… to break is not to build. I was silent for a long time and I am tired of being silent. Now I am going to tell my story in 2014″, introduces Anastasia.

Among her words, shared through her best Instagram friends, Gasanova assures that “she was forced to leave the country (Ukraine)” and that “Ukrainian Armed Forces killed people for speaking Russian.” “After May 2, 2014 it was impossible to wear the kit of the Russian national team, because they could shoot you without hesitation. If I see someone among you posting something silly, I’ll block them immediately. Is my position clear? Thanks for your attention. Good night everyone”, closes the Russian tennis player.

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