Elina Svitolina was on ‘mission’ for Ukraine after thrashing Russia’s Anastasia Potapova

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina says she was ‘on a mission’ for her country after beating Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in straight sets at the Monterrey Open. 

In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Svitolina had earlier posted a message stressing she wouldn’t compete against Potapova or any other Russian or Belarusian players until the International Tennis Federation and Women’s Tennis Association stopped competitors from those countries using national flags or anthems. 

And on Tuesday, the international governing bodies of tennis released a joint statement outlining the sanctions they are taking against Russia. 

The measures read as follows: “The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.

“The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.

“At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.”

Hand on heart