Vitalia Diatchenko excluded as Russian: "I hope to be free from racism and Nazism"

• Tennis

The world of tennis as well as the whole world of sport in general has been conditioned in recent months by the war, which has been going on for some time now, between Russia and Ukraine. We can recall that Russian and Belarusian athletes did not have the opportunity to participate in Wimbledon 2022 or the fact that Russian athletes can now participate in any event only without indicating their nationality and flag, but therefore traveling without a country.

It happened to the Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, to the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka but there are also those who, among the less famous athletes, experience really tough situations. Such is the case of 32-year-old Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko, who was forced to miss an ITF event in France in the last week due to her nationality.

The ITF tournament in Calvi is going on these days, a tournament that saw the Russian Diatchenko drawn with Jessica Ponchet. Through a long message on her social channels, Vitalia Diatchenko reported the impossibility of participating in the tournament as she had problems with the flight and everything about her due to her nationality.

Vitalia Diatchenko and the social post The tennis player clarified that she had had important problems related to her passport and that for this reason she was forced to forfeit the tournament. Diatchenko explained: "Travelling as a Russian citizen I only had 14 days of visa and not the 2/3 years that a normal person would have.

In addition, this visa had to go through Spain, the only country that granted it. Because of these issues I had to make four flights instead of two. I've been treated like a third class citizen, I've slept in the airport and had countless expenses and in the end I can't even make it to the tournament.

I have to withdraw and the only solution is to go home, there are no other alternatives. As an athlete playing without a flag and without any country this is unfair. I just try to go on and play the sport I've loved my whole life.

I hope to be free as soon as possible from political issues, racism and Nazism. I only ask for peace and a clear sky, thank you".