A ban on Russian and Belarusian players by tennis authorities would have sent a strong message, says world number one Iga Swiatek.
Players from the two countries were banned from Wimbledon in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but were allowed to compete elsewhere on the ATP and WTA Tours under a neutral flag.
Wimbledon has now reversed its decision for the 2023 Grand Slam tournament.
But Poland's Swiatek says tennis could have done better "from the beginning".
"I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it," the 21-year-old Swiatek told the BBC.