Federal Court Throws Out Ukrainian Tennis Player’s Lawsuit Against WTA

A Manhattan federal judge has rejected a legal challenge brought by Ukrainian tennis professional Lesia Tsurenko against the Women's Tennis Association. Tsurenko had accused the organization of causing her emotional harm through its policies regarding Russian and Belarusian competitors following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A federal court in Manhattan has thrown out a legal case filed by Ukrainian tennis professional Lesia Tsurenko against the Women’s Tennis Association and its former leader Steve Simon, rejecting her claims that their policies caused her psychological harm.

Tsurenko, who previously ranked among the world’s top 25 players, filed the lawsuit challenging how the WTA handled competitors from Russia and Belarus after Russia’s invasion of her homeland in 2022. The 36-year-old athlete argued that the organization failed to follow through on Simon’s commitments to exclude Russian and Belarusian players who backed the military action.

In her complaint, Tsurenko described specific incidents that troubled her, including a Russian competitor displaying a patch from a sanctioned Russian petroleum corporation. She also alleged that Simon indicated it was acceptable for players to express support for the conflict. The stress became so overwhelming that Tsurenko suffered what she described as a “panic attack” during the 2023 BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells, California, forcing her to abandon her match against Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka, who currently holds the number one ranking in women’s tennis.

However, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled Wednesday that the tennis organization possessed the authority to determine what constituted harmful behavior. The judge found that Tsurenko had not demonstrated that the WTA bore responsibility for banning specific players or protecting competitors from psychological distress.

“When courts have found that sports associations owe a duty to their players, those duties relate to ensuring players’ physical safety, not their emotional wellbeing,” Buchwald wrote.

Judge Buchwald also credited the WTA with making thoughtful decisions after the invasion began, pointing to measures such as preventing Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing under their national flags.

The Ukrainian player had sought financial compensation for contract violations and negligence, including claims related to emotional suffering. Her legal representatives had not responded to requests for comment by Thursday, nor had attorneys representing the WTA.

When fighting the lawsuit, the defendants maintained they had continuously condemned Russia’s military actions and implemented substantial measures to assist Ukrainian competitors. They argued that similar to other professional sports organizations, the WTA maintained that individual athletes “should not be punished because of the actions of their countries’ governments.”

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Tsurenko has been vocal about the difficulties she faces while competing on the professional tennis circuit.