[TeraByte]

Originally Posted by thegreendestiny

... Even today, Belorussians can go to Russia and enjoy the benefits of a Russian citizen (education, healthcare etc. )

And this we call imperialistic or neo-colonial policy.

[thegreendestiny]

Originally Posted by TeraByte

And this we call imperialistic or neo-colonial policy.

Citizens of both countries have equal rights and privileges, can easily switch passport/citizenship to the other without much difficulty. Heck, if Azarenka decides to play for Russia and Sharapova plays for Belarus, it wouldn't be a big deal for their home countries.

You're from Poland so you wouldn't understand.

[BH both wings]

Originally Posted by thegreendestiny

Citizens of both countries have equal rights and privileges, can easily switch passport/citizenship to the other without much difficulty. Heck, if Azarenka decides to play for Russia and Sharapova plays for Belarus, it wouldn't be a big deal for their home countries.

You're from Poland so you wouldn't understand.

I'm not from Poland, but I don't understand either. I thought citizens of either country of the Union State would be free to settle within either country, but keep their nationality and passport (a little bit like in the EU).

[Cp6uja]

WTA  ATP
1.BLR   SUI
2.RUS   SRB
3.USA   GBR
4.POL   ESP
5.CZE   ESP
6.GER   FRA
7.CHN   CZE
8.ITA   ARG
9.AUS
10.FRA
11.DEN
12.SRB
13.SVK

All WTA TOP13 is from 13 different countries, and 7 countries is represented into ATP TOP8! Its sound perfect till we take look from which regions they come: EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE... all the way!

At WTA TOP64 (WTA PM&P5 and ATP Masters are 64-draw events) there is just 12 non-European players (so in ATP with 20 this kind of distributions are actually better)!

BTW, there is also one bizarre fact about WTA TOP rank this season. For example between Roland Garros and US Open all TOP8 players are also from 8 different countries - but half of them been players with Polish decent, despite only Radwanska represented Poland (today - 4 out of TOP11).

[TeraByte]

Originally Posted by Cp6uja

...
BTW, there is also one bizarre fact about WTA TOP rank this season. For example between Roland Garros and US Open all TOP8 players are also from 8 different countries - but half of them been players with Polish decent, despite only Radwanska represented Poland (today - 4 out of TOP11).

But actually Stosur is only partially of Polish descent: it is only her grandpa (and her family name ). While the other three girls have both parents Polish.

[AndreConrad]

Originally Posted by Cp6uja

WTA  ATP
1.BLR   SUI
2.RUS   SRB
3.USA   GBR
4.POL   ESP
5.CZE   ESP
6.GER   FRA
7.CHN   CZE
8.ITA   ARG
9.AUS
10.FRA
11.DEN
12.SRB
13.SVK

All WTA TOP13 is from 13 different countries, and 7 countries is represented into ATP TOP8! Its sound perfect till we take look from which regions they come: EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE... all the way!

At WTA TOP64 (WTA PM&P5 and ATP Masters are 64-draw events) there is just 12 non-European players (so in ATP with 20 this kind of distributions are actually better)!

BTW, there is also one bizarre fact about WTA TOP rank this season. For example between Roland Garros and US Open all TOP8 players are also from 8 different countries - but half of them been players with Polish decent, despite only Radwanska represented Poland (today - 4 out of TOP11).

Well Europe gets interrupted at #3 in WTA and at #8 in ATP. Nonetheless European presence is strong, however Asian insurgence is encouraging and positive signs from the US. I also think Australia and rest of Americas are not sleeping and I believe that the stats in the coming years will be less dominated by Europeans.

[TeraByte]

Originally Posted by Cp6uja

All WTA TOP13 is from 13 different countries, and 7 countries is represented into ATP TOP8! Its sound perfect till we take look from which regions they come: EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE... all the way!

At WTA TOP64 (WTA PM&P5 and ATP Masters are 64-draw events) there is just 12 non-European players (so in ATP with 20 this kind of distributions are actually better)!

BTW, there is also one bizarre fact about WTA TOP rank this season. For example between Roland Garros and US Open all TOP8 players are also from 8 different countries - but half of them been players with Polish decent, despite only Radwanska represented Poland (today - 4 out of TOP11).

Originally Posted by AndreConrad

Well Europe gets interrupted at #3 in WTA and at #8 in ATP. Nonetheless European presence is strong, however Asian insurgence is encouraging and positive signs from the US. I also think Australia and rest of Americas are not sleeping and I believe that the stats in the coming years will be less dominated by Europeans.

Yet still you hear this unanimous moaning about Asian Swing in TF: unimportant, worse audience, players don't care, etc. How tennis can become more popular outside Europe/Americas/Australia without organizing big tournaments in Asia, and esp. the Far East which seems the most promising of all the rest of the world?

[NashaMasha]

Originally Posted by AndreConrad

Belarus wasn't really part of Russian Empire; for centuries it was part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. No need to evaluate history, because Belarus is its own country regardless of its problems. It is great if a lot of its citizens feel close to Russia or any other country, but there is no need to try to take away their own place from them.

check the map of Kievan Rus, baby

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...png?uselang=ru
http://www.stamp-collecting-world.co...an_Rus_Map.jpg
1015-1113 AD ,

since 13th century it's become a part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but initially a territory of Kievan Rus

As for Russian-Belorussian relations - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_State

as for passports
every Belorussian can get second passport (Russian) if
*has relatives in Russia (wife/sister/grandma etc)
*was born on USSR on territory of Russia

These Belorussians get Russian passports automatic and live in Russia with Russian passport and in Belorussia with Belorussian.

All the rest Belorussian can get Russian citizenship if refuses Belorussian citizenship. But Belorussia doesn't except refusals and they live with 2 passports either.

http://belmos.ru/print.php?type=leg&ltype=s&id=35
http://www.referent.ru/1/124681

My Relatives live with 2 passports, but actually with just Belorussian passport you have same rights as with Russian , can live, work for instance in Moscow without any extra permission, just register in 30 days

[aselto]

Originally Posted by TeraByte

But actually Stosur is only partially of Polish descent: it is only her grandpa (and her family name ). While the other three girls have both parents Polish.

Li Na is the 4th one, not Stosur

[pov]

This is not the first time.

http://www.wtatennis.com/page/AboutTheTour

2011 - Clijsters began the season by winning her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, which was followed by three first-time Grand Slam champions: Li Na became the first player from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros; Petra Kvitova broke through at Wimbledon, one of her six titles during the season; and Samantha Stosur dominated at the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. For the first time in WTA history, 10 different nations were represented in the world's Top 10 rankings.

I guess the OP meant the first time that the YEC has had players from 8 different countries

[pov]

Originally Posted by Cp6uja

For example between Roland Garros and US Open all TOP8 players are also from 8 different countries - but half of them been players with Polish decent, despite only Radwanska represented Poland (today - 4 out of TOP11).

If you mean they all have at least one parent who was born and raised in Poland okay . . it's of interest. If you mean anything else it's irrelevant.

[TeraByte]

Fine, NashaMasha, that you are not discussing with me, which would make your arguments seem much weaker:

Originally Posted by NashaMasha

check the map of Kievan Rus, baby

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...png?uselang=ru
http://www.stamp-collecting-world.co...an_Rus_Map.jpg
1015-1113 AD ,

since 13th century it's become a part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but initially a territory of Kievan Rus

Well, are we going to reach THAT early?

To remind you, AndreConrad was discussing with the following statement of the greendestiny:

Originally Posted by thegreendestiny

Modern-day Belarus did not exist as a country until the fall of USSR. Before that, it was historically a part of either the USSR or the Russian Empire.

I think that just mentioning some 540-545 years of Belarus being part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (ca 1250-ca 1793/95) is enough to demonstrate that the greendestiny was wrong. All the more so as I pointed to the fact that people speaking proto-Belarussian could feel that they are very important part of population of that state for at least ca 400 years. It's a very important argument because after incorporation of these territories into Russian Empire (at the turn of the 18th/19th century) Belarussian language was banned and its users persecuted!

The maps of Kievan Rus can be used as a fine argument in favor of incorporation of today's Russia INTO today's Ukraine, because the capital of that state was Kiev. But you wouldn't like it, would you? Reaching earlier than 13th c. makes little sense, because it is at that time when languages Old Ruthenian and Medieval Russian splitted.