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Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko said that she recently suffered a panic attack following a discussion with WTA CEO Steve Simon concerning Russian and Belarusian players.
The conversation had such an impact on her that she had to withdraw from the ongoing BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Ukrainian defeated China's Zhu Lin and Croatian Donna Vekic in the first two rounds before eventually withdrawing from her third-round match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
Following that, Lesia Tsurenko spoke with Big Tennis Ukraine, in which she explained her withdrawal, saying she had panic attacks and difficulty breathing after speaking with Steve Simon a few days ago.
"Today I just had a mental breakdown after all the things I've heard. It was a panic attack, I had trouble breathing. A few days ago I had a conversation with WTA CEO Steve Simon, I was absolutely shocked by what I heard from him," Tsurenko said.
She also stated that she felt mentally ill in her previous match against Donna Vekic and that it worsened before her match against Sabalenka, which he hopes will be cured and she will be able to compete in the next tournament in time.
"I felt mentally bad in my previous match vs Vekic, it was incredibly difficult to play then, today it's got worse. I couldn't pull myself together. I had a panic attack when it was time to go out there. I hope I'll be able to regroup and be more ready for the next tournament," Tsurenko said.
Lesia Tsurenko described her discussion with Steve Simon, saying that she first approached him to talk about the quality of the ball in Monterrey and the difficulties the players were having.
However, Simon soon got into how Russian and Belarusian players would soon be allowed to the Olympics, as everyone has an equal opportunity to perform. His remarks come after Wimbledon lifted the ban on Russian and Belarussian players that they imposed back when the Russia-Ukraine war started.
"I had quite a few different questions. I asked about the quality of the tennis balls in Monterrey, where many players complained about pain in the shoulders, hands and elbows. I also couldn't finish my match because of it," Lesia Tsurenko said.
"Besides, Steve Simon expressed his confidence to me that the Russians and Belarussians will return to the Olympics and it will happen as it is happening in tennis right now. He told me that this is in fact a fair play and it shows that Olympic principles are not violated. That it will show that everyone is equal and everyone has the opportunity to perform at the Olympics," she added further.
"It's just so weird and so painful, how someone like this can be a leader?" - Lesia Tsurenko
According to Lesia Tsurenko, when she asked Steve Simon why he was making such statements while her country, Ukraine, is in the midst of a war, the WTA CEO stated that it was his opinion only and that if the Russian and Belarusian players support the war, that is their opinion as well, and that should not "upset" her.
"When I asked whether he understood that he tells me all of this while there is an active war against my country going on right now, he said yes, that this was his opinion," Lesia Tsurenko said.
"He added that he himself would be feeling terrible, if he was in my shoes, and while he doesn't support the war personally, but if the players from Russia and Belarus do support it, he said, this is only their own opinion and the opinion of others should not upset me," she added.
The Ukrainian then stated that the conversation left her and other Ukrainian players who were aware of it completely shocked. She added that they requested a conference call with the WTA group and questioned how someone with a stance like Steve Simon could be their leader.
"This conversation left me completely shocked, I tried to digest all the information but today I just broke down mentally, to be honest. Ukrainian players in our chat know about this conversation. Everyone felt the same, everybody is shocked," Lesia Tsurenko said.
"I just don't get that such things need to be explained. It's just so weird and so painful. We asked for a conference call with the WTA Board about what we should do about it, how someone like this can be a leader, how we should understand whether our organization protects our rights at all or not," she added.
