Petra Kvitová’s fantastic campaign through the tournament in Miami, crowned by her final triumph over Rybakinová, resonated in the tennis world for several days. However, the former Russian star Svetlana Kuznětsová devoted herself to a completely different topic than the forehands and backhands of the Czech champion.
The tennis player, who ended her career three years ago, was really upset by the words of Petra Kvitova, who during the tournament in Miami clearly opposed the participation of Russian and Belarusian tennis players in the upcoming Olympics in Paris.
“In my opinion, they shouldn’t even compete in the Olympics. I’m more on the Ukrainian side on this. I feel like the Olympics are here because we don’t want war in the world. So that worries me. And I really appreciated when Wimbledon he didn’t invite last year,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.
Svetlana Kuznetsova on Petra Kvitova saying Russia should be banned from Olympics: “It’s clear that Czechs are very opposed to Russian people. There is propaganda & Russophobia all over the world. I believe athletes should not get involved in this. They just have to play tennis.” pic.twitter.com/Xb3rBBGex3
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 9, 2023
Kvitova responded to the opinion of the International Olympic Committee, which recommended the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games. “Of course, my position is still clear, I am against the war and I care more about the people and players from Ukraine,” confirmed Kvitová.
It was Kuznětsová who rushed in with harsh criticism not only of Kvitová, but of the Czech Republic in general. “It is absolutely clear that the Czech Republic is against the Russian people. Propaganda and Russophobia work here. But I am convinced that athletes should not be dragged into these things. They play tennis after all,” defended her homeland, a former elite player.
Photo: Profimedia.cz
Former Russian tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova
Among the Russian tennis players in the past, Andrey Rublyov and Darya Kasatkinová, for example, have clearly distinguished themselves against the war, and she is even considering changing her citizenship in this context.
