Ukraine tennis star Elina Svitolina now agrees to play Russian Anastasia Potapova tonight

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina will now play Russian Anastasia Potapova tonight at the Monterrey Open with her opponent competing under a neutral flag. 

Svitolina had insisted she would not play her round-of-32 match unless tennis’ governing bodies followed the recommendations made by the International Olympic Committee. 

Yet an emotional Svitolina told ITV News that she would now play, wearing the Ukrainian national colours in Mexico.  

She said: ‘I’m going to play in the Ukrainian national colours because normally we are playing at the Olympics and for our national team in Ukrainian colours but today I’m going to wear Ukrainian colours and for me this means a lot – it’s going to be a special night for me.’

The IOC’s executive said on Friday that Russian and Belarusian national flags should not be displayed at international sports events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On Monday, the IOC’s executive board went further and recommended sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events, and Svitolina, who is married to men’s tennis player Gael Monfils, made her feelings known.

‘We Ukrainian players requested to ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the recommendations of the IOC to accept Russian or Belarusian nationals only as neutral athletes, without displaying any national symbols, colours, flags or anthems,’ Svitolina said.

‘Accordingly, I want to announce that I will not play tomorrow in Monterrey, nor any other match against Russian or Belarusian tennis players until our organisations take this necessary decision.’ 

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina will now play Russian Anastasia Potapova tonight

But Svitolina now says she will play her match tonight, wearing the Ukrainian national colours

Belarusian troops have joined in the invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv claimed today, as a 40-mile Russian convoy bore down on the capital amid warnings that Putin will now use ‘medieval tactics’ to try and force a bloody victory after being handed a series of embarrassing defeats in the opening days of the war. 

In a separate but similar statement earlier on Monday, Ukrainian women’s tennis players including Marta Kostyuk and Lesia Tsurenko called on the WTA to pull all tournaments from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Athletes from Ukraine and other nations have urged international bodies to take action after Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea last week following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a ‘special operation’ that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Lesia Tsurenko was among the players calling on the WTA to pull all tournaments from Russia

‘We Ukrainian tennis players would like to express our great surprise and dissatisfaction with the lack of any response with the situation with our motherland,’ the statement said.

‘It is especially strange that in prior cases of social injustice and sexual harassment the response of WTA was prompt, appropriate and bold.

‘We demand that WTA immediately condemn Russian government, pull all tournaments out of Russia and approach ITF to do the same. Stop the war. Stop Russian aggression. Bring peace to our homes. Be human.’

On Sunday, the Ukrainian Tennis Federation urged the sport’s governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from team and individual tournaments.