Reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek says the Ukraine war has caused "chaos" in the world of sport.In an interview with French daily Le Monde yesterday, the Pole also hit out at the ruling bodies of tennis, the ATP and WTA, saying they had failed to provide leadership on the issue of Ukrainian players facing Russians on the court."There are indeed tensions among the players, sometimes the atmosphere in the locker room is quite heavy," the 21-year-old said."At the beginning of the conflict, there was a lack of leadership on the part of the tennis authorities, we were not brought together to explain how we were supposed to manage this complex situation and how to behave."Those who are in the worst position are the Ukrainian players and it would be good if we paid more attention to what they feel and what they endure."Her fears were illustrated on Sunday when Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk was booed at the French Open for refusing to shake hands with Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka. Kostyuk said the Paris crowd should "feel embarrassed" by their actions.Swiatek, whose country neighbours Ukraine, was asked if she would support the participation of athletes from Russia and their ally Belarus at the Paris Olympics next year."It is not for us as athletes to make such a decision," she said. "There is currently a kind of chaos in sport and the most important thing is not to make it worse, to share values that are the right ones and to be clear that we cannot tolerate the ongoing war."Russia and Belarus were banned from international competition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, In March this year, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competition, without commenting on their possible presence at the Paris Games.‘Old’ Jabeur proud to inspire youngsters like AndreevaOns Jabeur takes great pride in inspiring the next generation of women’s players, even if the world number seven sometimes feels a little "old" when she is looked up to by a 16-year-old like Mirra Andreeva. Nicknamed the "Minister of Happiness", double Grand Slam runner-up Jabeur is well loved by her peers for her graciousness and charm on and off court while her power and craftiness in matches have won her fans around the world.Russian Andreeva is among Jabeur’s many admirers and said after her first-round win over Alison Riske-Amritraj yesterday that she would like to someday practice with the 28-year-old."It makes me feel old, for one. Honestly, that was amazing, seeing that she talked about me and she was doing well," Jabeur told reporters. "I was really happy for her."Hopefully we can play each other. I can give her a signed picture. She can put it in her bedroom. I don’t know. This is the first time that somebody says that. But it’s special. I always try to inspire the new generation and am definitely proud of it. That will motivate me, for sure, to do better and be a better player on and off the court."Jabeur, who reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year, will continue her quest for a maiden major trophy at Roland Garros where she lost in the first round in 2022 and has never passed the fourth round.The Tunisian looked in fine fettle as she kicked off her campaign this year with a 6-4 6-1 win over Lucia Bronzetti after an injury-hit start to the year where she had minor knee surgery before suffering a calf problem that forced her out of Madrid."I feel 100% fit," Jabeur said. "I need to have more matches under my belt to gain confidence, to up my game on the court."This match (against Bronzetti) will help me gain confidence and help me go further undoubtedly."
May 30, 2023 | 11:01 PM