Iga Swiatek has been praised for her strong stance on the matter of allowing Russian and Belarusian players on the tennis tour. The Pole suggested that the tennis world could have made amends from the very beginning by banning players belonging to the aforementioned countries from competing.In an interview with the BBC, Swiatek opened up about how the tennis world should have been 'doing better' in showing the world that they were against war."I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war." Swiatek statedShe further stated how German, Italian and Japanese players were banned after World War II and pointed out that something similar should have been done to send Russia a message that the war was not worth it."I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it" Swiatek statedSwiatek's bold stance has garnered praise from fans all over the world for being one of the few players who has continuously spoken out against the war."We couldn't have asked for a better World No.1 in women's tennis," a fan tweeted.Anna Zofia 💛💙@Anna_Niezgodzka@BBCWorld We couldn't have asked fot a better world no 1 in women's tennis93@BBCWorld 👏 We couldn't have asked fot a better world no 1 in women's tennis"Bravo Iga!" another fan tweeted in support of the World No. 1.Jacek@_justlife__@BBCWorld Bravo Iga!5@BBCWorld Bravo Iga!See some more reactions to Swiatek's stance on disallowing Russian and Belarusian players here:MsDalloway@MsDalloway_.@iga_swiatek is just cut from a different cloth. 🥹 My admiration for her just keeps growing and growing #1GA 🫶 twitter.com/Strzewa91/stat…Ewa@Strzewa91'I know it's a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda'Iga for BBCbbc.com/sport/tennis/6…291'I know it's a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda'Iga for BBCbbc.com/sport/tennis/6….@iga_swiatek is just cut from a different cloth. 🥹 My admiration for her just keeps growing and growing #1GA 🫶🇺🇦 twitter.com/Strzewa91/stat…Kate@Kate06935161@RelevantTennis You are a very courageous woman @iga_swiatek . Let's hope people listen and stand on the right side of the history.681@RelevantTennis You are a very courageous woman @iga_swiatek . Let's hope people listen and stand on the right side of the history.Wu Zet@mrW0oo@BBCWorld Respect4@BBCWorld RespectAnna@A_nn_a_k@BBCWorld 4@BBCWorld 💪💚Adrian Biernacki 🇵🇱@Adr_Biernacki twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc902110Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc👏👏👏 twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…Stanisław Mroszczak@StasiuMroszczakSome important words from a player who actually recognises that the separation of sports and politics is a conspiracy theory. Sports as much as other forms of popular entertainment have always been a tool of propaganda (unsurprisingly). Wise of @iga_swiatek to understand that twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc255Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcSome important words from a player who actually recognises that the separation of sports and politics is a conspiracy theory. Sports as much as other forms of popular entertainment have always been a tool of propaganda (unsurprisingly). Wise of @iga_swiatek to understand that twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…ed loop@edloop1Classy! twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc902110Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcClassy! twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…pawelbulgaryn@pawelbulgarynTrue story by @iga_swiatek @iga_team This is a very welcome gesture that the tennis world should make for Ukraine and Ukrainian tennis players #UkraineWillWin twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc3110Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcTrue story by @iga_swiatek @iga_team This is a very welcome gesture that the tennis world should make for Ukraine and Ukrainian tennis players #UkraineWillWin twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…Igor de Wratislavia@Igor__1968Iga 🏻 twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc1110Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcIga 💪🏻😍 twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…Jaśmina Marczewska@JMarczewskaIga twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc2110Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcIga 👏 twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…alex@kinxsideAlso people in the comments saying she’s afraid of the competition from those countries? You have to be a fucking idiot. Stop telling Slavs how they should feel about Russia, we’ve literally been terrorized for centuries by them twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc14133Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcAlso people in the comments saying she’s afraid of the competition from those countries? You have to be a fucking idiot. Stop telling Slavs how they should feel about Russia, we’ve literally been terrorized for centuries by them twitter.com/bbcworld/statu…V@vanistratorIt's never too late to ban the Russian orcs. twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…BBC News (World)@BBCWorldBan on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQc41Ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players would have sent strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek bbc.in/3UfkVQcIt's never too late to ban the Russian orcs. twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…Iga Swiatek gearing up for the clay court seasonIga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open - Day FourteenOn the tennis side of things, Iga Swiatek is gearing up for the upcoming clay court season, arguably her most successful surface.Last year, the Pole won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The Pole is set to compete at Stuttgart this year to defend her title.The World No. 1 also reigned supreme in last year's Italian Open final in Rome against Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2. The Pole then went on to capture the French Open title against America's Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3.Swiatek, who suffered a rib injury prior to this year's Miami Open, has let her fans know that she is gearing up for the clay court season after successfully completing her short injury layoff.The 21-year-old took to Twitter to share a close-up image of her racquet on the clay court and captioned the image with red bricks, indicating her ongoing preparation on the surface.Iga Świątek@iga_swiatek🧱🧱4218180🧱🧱 https://t.co/6Xm5EhAMHQSwiatek is also set to appear at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open, slated to begin on April 26. Last year, Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament to rest herself, following which Ons Jabeur won the title by outclassing Jessica Pegula in the final.