Ukraine's Elina Svitolina makes Putin demand to ATP as Wimbledon ban Russian players

WTA world No 25 Elina Svitolina has called on tennis' governing bodies to ban all Russian and Belarusian players who fail to denounce Vladimir Putin and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It comes after reports claimed Wimbledon would officially be banning tennis players from the two nations, stopping the likes of ATP world No 2 Daniil Medvedev from competing in the Grand Slam tournament this summer.

Svitolina posted a passionate plea on Wednesday, asking the ATP, WTA and ITF to demand answers from Russian and Belarusian players regarding their stance on the war in Ukraine. It comes as reports claimed Wimbledon had confirmed a ban on all athletes from the two countries. The statement was then posted by other Ukrainian players including Marta Kostyuk.

"Dear Tennis Community, Ginetta Sagan once said, "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor." This could not be any more true right now," the former world No 3 wrote in a lengthy social media post. "On 24th February 2022, Russia, with the support of Belarus, attacked Ukraine. Now there is a war in our country, in our home. All Ukrainians are forced to leave their homes and fight for their lives," she continued, going on to speak about the death of civilians and millions who had been left homeless since Russia invaded her home country.

The 2018 WTA Finals champion then shared three questions she urged tennis' governing bodies to ask of their players hailing from Russia and Belarus. "As athletes we live a life in the public eye and therefore have an enormous responsibility. Some of our posts and opinions on social media reach an audience larger than those of regional television stations. In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening," she