VICTORIA AZARENKA, A former world number one and two-time Grand Slam title winner, said on Wednesday she is “devastated” by the violence “against and in Ukraine” following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
Azarenka’s native country, authoritarian Belarus, is closely linked to Russia and has been used as a key staging ground for the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The 32-year-old Azarenka, who was a gold medallist for Belarus at the 2012 Olympics, is one of the highest-profile athletes from her country to hit out at the conflict.
“I am devastated by the actions that have taken place over the last several days against and in Ukraine,” she wrote on Twitter.
“It is heartbreaking to see how many innocent people have been affected and continue to be affected by such violence.
“I have always seen and experienced Ukrainian and Belarusian people friendly and supportive of each other. It’s hard to witness the violent separation currently taking place.”
On Tuesday, the International Tennis Federation announced that Russia and Belarus would be suspended from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions.
However, players can continue to compete at individual events.
Comedian Michael Fry is our special guest on this week’s episode of The Front Row, in partnership with Guinness. Joining host Seán Burke, Eimear Considine and Murray Kinsella, he chats about his family’s rugby background and his short-lived playing days, before using his musical ear to rank the anthems of each Guinness Six Nations team. Click here to subscribe or listen below:
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