It was ahead of the match in the third round of the major tournament in Indian Wells with 128 players in the starting field that WTA chief Steve Simon had his conversation with the 95th-ranked Tsurenko, 33.
- A couple of days ago I had a conversation with WTA manager Steve Simon and I was shocked by what I heard.
He said he didn't support the war but if players from Russia or Belarus say something, it's just their personal opinion and it shouldn't upset me," said Tsurenko, according to The Guardian.
- At the same time, he said that if it had been about him and he had been in my place, he would have felt sad, says Tsurenko, who felt that it was difficult to play against Donna Vekic in the second round.
Then it broke when she was to play against world number two Sabalenka on the night between Sunday and Monday Swedish time.
"Be mentally destroyed"
- When it was time to go out on the court, I had a panic attack and couldn't play.
I was mentally destroyed, says Tsurenko.
The Ukrainian has had difficulty finishing matches even before Indian Wells.
In nine of the last 18 tournaments, she has lost after walking over or breaking games.
Wimbledon is about to lift its ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
The IOC has also opened the door to the Olympics in Paris, where tennis is on the program.