Ukrainian tennis player seeks legal justice over ‘moral abuse’

Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko said she will “seek justice in court” after claiming she had suffered “moral abuse” from a senior official at the WTA.

The 35-year-old has spoken frequently about the problems of competing on tour since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

She withdrew from a match at Indian Wells in 2023 against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka following a panic attack after talking to the then WTA chief executive Steve Simon.

Tsurenko went on to face Sabalenka in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open, losing 6-0, 6-0. She has not appeared on the circuit since November last year and is currently ranked 239 in the world. 

In August 2024, Simon was replaced by Portia Archer as CEO of the WTA.

“I spoke about it openly and directly. I tried to seek protection and justice within the WTA,” Tsurenko wrote on X.

“But in response, faced indifference and injustice, which led to a prolonged moral decline.”

She claims that she had suffered “pain, fear, panic attacks, humiliation, withholding information, harassment of my team” in a bid to silence her. 

“Even in my worst nightmares, I couldn’t imagine that the professional tour, which I considered my home, would become a terrifying and alien place, where the CEO … consciously committed an act of moral abuse against me, leading to a panic attack and the inability to do my job,” Tsurenko posted.

“The WTA tour refused to protect a woman, a player, a human being. Instead, the WTA tour chose to protect a person in a leadership position.

“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.”

The WTA told AFP on Thursday it rejected Tsurenko’s assertions, insisting that while it had always condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine, it had taken the position that “individual athletes should not be penalised for the actions of their governments”.

The WTA added that while it has “the greatest sympathy” for the challenges faced by Tsurenko and other Ukrainian players “we are disappointed that she has decided to engage in litigation to seek to hold the WTA responsible for her distress”.  

“At all times, the WTA and its management acted appropriately and in accordance with our rules, and we are confident that we will prevail in this litigation,” the statement concluded.