Iga Świątek says Russian and Belarusian players should have been banned at the start of the war ©Getty Images

World number one tennis star Iga Świątek said that the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) should have banned Russian and Belarusian players when the invasion of Ukraine was launched and it would be unfair to do so now.

Tennis players from both countries have been allowed to continue as neutrals, although they were banned from Wimbledon last year.

The grass court Grand Slam is to reverse that decision for this year's event, however.

"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," the 21-year-old Świątek said, according to the BBC.

"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.

"This is something that was considered at the beginning, tennis didn't really go that way, but now it would be pretty unfair for Russian and Belarusian players to do that because this decision was supposed to be made a year ago."

Iga Świątek shaking hands with Elena Rybakina, who represented Russia from 2013 to 2018 ©Getty Images
Iga Świątek shaking hands with Elena Rybakina, who represented Russia from 2013 to 2018 ©Getty Images

Last month, Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from the Indian Wells Open following an uneasy conversation with WTA President Steve Simon.

Świątek said there is a "lack of leadership" at the organisation which has created an intense environment in the locker room.

"I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war," Świątek added.

"I feel they could do more to make that point and tell their views, and help us cope a bit better in the locker room because the atmosphere there is pretty tense."

The Pole, a three-time Grand Slam champion, said the situation is difficult for Russian and Belarusian players.

"It's not their fault they have a passport like that but, on the other hand, we all have some kind of impact and I feel like anything that would help stop the Russian aggression, we should go that way in terms of the decisions the federations are making," said Świątek.

Lesia Tsurenko was unhappy about an alleged lack of action by the WTA on the Russian invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images
Lesia Tsurenko was unhappy about an alleged lack of action by the WTA on the Russian invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

"It's easy to say that but when you're facing people face to face it's a little bit different. 

"I did shake hands, for example, with Daria Kasatkina - she openly said that she's against the war at the beginning and it would be her dream for the war to finish.

"I really respect that because I feel it's brave for Russian athletes to say that because their situation is pretty complicated and sometimes it's hard for them to speak out loud about it."