Ukrainian tennis player sued international federation for allowing Sabalenka to play. The outcome is known
A New York court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko against the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and its former head Steve Simon, Reuters writes . The athlete claimed that the decision not to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players from competitions allegedly caused her mental harm and violated the terms of her contract.
Lesia Tsurenko
The court ruled that the obligations of sports organizations primarily concern the physical safety of participants, not their emotional state. Therefore, the claims of the Ukrainian tennis player were dismissed.
The court also recognized the WTA's approach as justified: athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from competing under national flags but were not completely excluded from tournaments.
The conflict arose back in 2023 when Tsurenko refused to play a match against Aryna Sabalenka after a panic attack that occurred following a conversation with Steve Simon.
As a result, the court sided with the WTA, noting that the organization is not responsible for the emotional state of players in such situations.