Norwegian tennis player Ulrikke Eikeri has been severely criticized at home because she dared to play in tandem with Russian Alexandra Panova at Wimbledon e. The poor girl was simply destroyed and forced to apologize. However, compatriot Kasper Ruud came to the defense of the athlete.
«Impossible to justify» If it were not for the Norwegian media, no one would have paid attention to this fact. Panova took to the court this year with partners from the USA, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and other countries. However, in Norway they considered the incident a crime. Petter Saltvedt, a journalist for the popular NRK publication, said that Akery's behavior is absolutely unacceptable.
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“I can’t understand how she managed to avoid criticism in the first place. After all, she played in tandem with Panova. Akery has yet to comment on why she chose to work with Russia. Perhaps she had no other alternatives, but this is also not the reason, there is always a choice. What she did cannot be justified. Playing with a Russian is ignorance. Surprisingly, the Norwegian Tennis Federation and the Norwegian Sports Association did not criticize it either,» Saltvedt said.
The material served as a catalyst for negativity. Akery was hounded on social networks, so the athlete was forced to apologize. She probably didn't want to make excuses, but decided not to stir up a potential scandal.
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«I'm sorry. I should have thought about this earlier, but unfortunately I didn't. Now I really regret the choice given the situation in the world,” said 30-year-old Akeri, quoted by SVT.
Defense against the first racket of NorwayIt is unlikely that the Norwegian has accidentally chosen the Russian due to the lack of an alternative. It is enough to open a search engine and find information that Akeri previously went to court several times with Panova. They are well acquainted and have a professional relationship. It is impossible to unconsciously pair up in tennis.
One should not be surprised at the reaction of publications such as NRK. They have long developed a position, the essence of which is to criticize everything connected with Russia. You can recall materials about skiers and biathletes, then the picture will be extremely clear. Fortunately, there are also reasonable people in Norway who are able to adequately perceive what is happening. The first racket of the country and world tennis star Kasper Ruud stood up for his compatriot and called the situation a «witch hunt.»
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«This year, the Russians were allowed to play at Wimbledon. So I don't think it should be a problem who she (Akery) chose to play with. Stupidity. It's kind of like a witch hunt. I don't understand why she should apologize. Wimbledon, WTA and ATP organizers said the Russians were allowed to play. We follow this because we speak in organizations,” Ruud quotes NRK.
In the UK, the return of Russian tennis players to Wimbledon was also extremely negative. And towards the end of the tournament, journalists began to publish laudatory articles about our guys. They were called «real winners». Perhaps the voice of reason will someday reach Norway.
The opinion of the authors may not coincide with the position of the editors.