WTA sued for ’emotional distress’ by Ukranian player

“But in response, faced indifference and injustice, which led to a prolonged moral decline. Pain, fear, panic attacks, humiliation, withholding information, harassment of my team to silence me… and this isn’t even the full list of what I’ve had to endure. My last chance to defend myself, to stand up for my rights, my dignity, and to prevent such acts of violence in sports is to seek justice in court,” Tsurenko continued.

Tsurenko’s lawsuit claims she had to withdraw from an event at Indian Wells due to a panic attack triggered by the prospect of playing against Russian and Belarusian players. She asserts that she suffered from severe stress, loss of focus, emotional distress, and damage to her feelings, all of which negatively impacted her performance on the court.

The 35-year-old Ukrainian who considered quitting tennis after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has often highlighted the challenges of competing on tour amid the ongoing war. Ranked 239th in the world, Tsurenko pulled out of a 2023 match after a panic attack following a discussion with WTA leadership about its response to the conflict.

The amended lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in the Southern District of New York, highlighted instances like Russian player Veronika Kudermetova wearing a patch at the French Open for sponsor Taneft, a subsidiary of a company sanctioned by the European Union for supporting the Russian army.

In a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday, the WTA affirmed that it has remained “steadfast and clear in its condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the actions of the Russian government against the Ukrainian people.”