In light of Wimbledon’s decision to prohibit Russian and Belarusian players from competing this summer, Tunisian tennis great Ons Jabeur maintains that sports and politics should not be mixed.

Due to the invasion of Ukraine, the All England Club declared last week that it would not accept entry for Wimbledon from Russian or Belarusian players, a decision that has been condemned by both the WTA and ATP tournaments, as well as a number of tennis professionals.

Jabeur sympathizes with her Ukrainian counterparts, but she understands how tough it is for Russian and Belarussian players to speak out against the war and risk endangering their families at home.

“I understand what the Ukrainian people are going through, and I am completely opposed to war,” declared world No. 10 Jabeur.

“However, I’ve been warned for years that you should never mix sports with politics.”

The gifted North African has seen personally what can happen when politics infiltrate the sporting arena.

She claims she has gotten death threats in the past for supporting the Palestinian cause, and she also experienced blowback two years ago when she was forced to represent Tunisia against Israel in a Billie Jean King Cup match.

“I’ve got my own set of circumstances, particularly in the 2020 BJK Cup when we were meant to play Israel.”

“I completely sympathize with the Palestinian people, as well as the children who have been dying every day for the past 74 years.”

“So I’m not sure how it’s now acceptable to mix politics with sports,” the 27-year-old stated.

“How about the rest of the world, where people and children are dying every day?”

“I don’t believe we should combine politics with sports, in my opinion.”

“What is happening in the globe is terribly horrific, and one thing I despise in this world is politics. It’s filthy, and we’ll never get a whole picture of what’s going on.”

“So I’m hoping that this matter will be settled quickly; I’m not sure what will happen.”

“However, I am aware that Russians and Belarusians both have families back home, so I’m not sure how much they can discuss it.”

“As a result, both parties are in a tough situation, particularly Ukrainians. And, to be honest, I’m hoping that this war would end soon so that there will be no problems.”

“But I also hope people could look back to Palestinians because this matter truly hits me as an Arab lady, it’s not fair, and I hope we don’t combine politics and sports,” she said as she wrapped up her thoughts.

Jabeur was speaking on the sidelines of the Madrid Open, where she won her first round 7-6(9), 6-1 against Italian Jasmine Paolini on Thursday.