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By Giri Nathan
[vc_empty_space height="15px"]Elina Svitolina, the top seed this week in Monterrey, announced on Monday that she wouldn’t play her first-round opponent unless specific conditions were met. She had drawn world No. 115 Anastasia Potapova, who competes under the Russian flag. In a statement marked with a yellow-and-blue fist and the word “Ukraine,” Svitolina urged the ATP, WTA, and ITF to adopt a new policy for Russian and Belarusian athletes: Present them neutrally, without symbols, colors, flags, or anthems. “I do not blame any of the Russian athletes,” she wrote. “They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland.” She thanked those fellow players who’d spoken against war, especially those from Russia and Belarus.