"We are all very angry about the situation, it was a really tough month" - Liudmila Samsonova on how Wimbledon ban motivated her and fellow Russians Daniil Medvedev and Daria Kasatkina to win titles
Russian tennis players like Daniil Medvedev, Daria Kasatkina, Andrey Rublev and Liudmila Samsonova have been facing severe difficulties in obtaining visa permits and tournament clearances for their respective tours in recent times.
Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have been very restrictive in giving visas to players from Russia and Belarus despite their repeated calls for peace and an end to the war. Most notably, they were stripped of their participation in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, leading many to lose valuable ranking points they accumulated at the tournament last year.
After Ludmilla Samsonova's 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kaia Kanepi in the final at the 2022 Citi Open, the Russian expressed her angst over the issue at her post-match press conference.
When asked how her fellow Russian teammates Daniil Medvedev and Daria Kasatkina have both won managed to win titles this week as well despite their recent hiatus, the 23-year-old declared that they are all motivated by the same anger.
While Medvedev lifted the trophy at the Los Cabos Open with a win over Cameron Norrie in the final, Kasatkina defeated Shelby Rogers in the final of the Silicon Valley Classic. Recalling how last month had been very "tough" both physically and emotionally, Samsonova remarked that her compatriots were more than motivated to put their spare time to good use and make up for all the lost time.
I think we are all very angry about the situation. I mean, it was a really tough month what was going," Samsonova said. "So I think we have a lot of time to work, so I think we use it very well. So that's it, I think."
A first title of the season for Daniil Medvedev!
A straight sets victory over Britain's Cam Norrie in Los Cabos 🎾 https://t.co/JrTwE9Iv8R
There has been so much confusion among Russian tennis players that most of them do not know till the very end if they will be permitted or given visa clearance to perform in upcoming tournaments. The World No. 42 weighed in on the same, revealing that an unknown girl from the embassy helped her get her visa for her trip to the US, without which she would have been stranded too.
"So during the grass court season, the agency told me that it would be very hard to obtain the USA visa, because the old one was expiring on July," Samsonova said.
"So, I mean, it was a problem to come here. I didn't know if I could get here, so at the end, I get it, I get it two weeks ago. One girl from United States helped me, so that was the thing, yeah," she added.
"I go to Toronto to play doubles, I think I'm going to go play there on Tuesday" - Luidmila Samsonova on her reunion with Daria Kasatkina & Daniil Medvedev at the Canadian Open
Unfortunately, the 2022 Citi Open winner failed to make it to Toronto to play in the qualifiers of the Canadian Open. However, Liudmila Samsanova revealed that she will be playing in doubles at the event.
"Yeah, I go to Toronto to play doubles. I think I'm going to go play doubles there I think on Tuesday. I go to Cincy to try to play there," Samsonova said. "Then it's going to be Cleveland and US Open."
"Mentally I'm already thinking of the next tournament, to be honest. The job never stops."
Back in the Top 10 and up to No.3 in the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals.
How Daria Kasatkina toppled the field to win #MubadalaSVC.
Champs Corner: wtatennis.com/news/2733399/c… https://t.co/j29CLFAQlA
At the tournament, she will be looking forward to reuniting with her fellow Russians Daniil Medvedev and Daria Kasatkina. After receiving a bye in the first round, the World No. 1 is all set to play his second-round match against either Nick Kyrgios or Sebastian Baez on Wednesday. The 2022 Silicon Valley Classic winner, meanwhile, will play her first-round match against Bianca Andreescu.