Tennis players respond following Oleksandra Oliynykova comments on war

“I don’t want to judge a player or a person by what they say,” Andreeva said after reaching the third round.

Loading

“He can have his own opinion and say whatever he wants.”

The tennis world has been grappling for years with how to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete at all grand slams, including the Australian Open, but they must do so under a neutral flag.

In 2022, Wimbledon organizers initially decided to ban all players from the two countries. As a result, the tournament’s ranking points for that year were lost. Wimbledon lifts ban on 2023 tournament.

The grand slam policy is in line with other major sporting events such as the Olympics, where individual athletes can compete under a neutral flag. Russian and Belarusian teams were banned from participating in Olympic team events.

In international football, Russia is banned from participating in tournaments organized by governing body FIFA or European football’s top body UEFA.

Several other players were asked about Oliynykova’s comments on Wednesday.

Russian actress Diana Shnaider, who defeated Australian Talia Gibson in the second round, received an award from Putin together with her compatriot Andreeva in September. He had previously played in a controversial Russian tournament financed by state-owned energy company Gazprom.

Loading

Of his decision to play in his home country, he said: “We were on tour all year long and I rarely saw my family… so my only motivation for playing in St. Petersburg was just to visit my family.”

“I didn’t [seen] what comments [Oliynykova] “I don’t know what his intentions were there, to be honest,” Shnaider said. “I’m… here to win as many matches as I can and have a great tennis performance.”

When asked about the award, Shnaider said: “Me and Mirra had a great year together. And I think getting a silver medal at the Olympics was an incredible achievement.”

Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, who also competed in the St Petersburg tournament, said individual players had their own perspectives.

“I respect all opinions outside the court. This is its opinion,” he said. “I honestly have nothing to say about it.”

Russian player Andrey Rublev said that he was unaware of Oliynykova’s comments, but at the same time he respected every player’s right to share his opinion.

“I think everyone can say what they want,” Rublev said. “That’s why they [a] platform. That’s why you do interviews. So you share your feelings.

Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina, who has previously been outspoken about the war, said the issue was “over” in her mind.

“Well, the war has been going on for four years and [we’ve] Speaking to reporters at the post-match press conference, Svitolina said they had talked about it many times.

“And for me, the matter is now closed. With the decision of the WTA, the stand has already been taken.” [and] ATP.

“What we can do right now is go out there and try to perform well, try to represent our country the right way, draw attention, use our voice to bring help, and remember that we can use our voice to bring help and care to our homeland.”

Svitolina made headlines in 2023 for refusing to shake hands with Sabalenka after their quarter-final match at Roland-Garros.

Before the tournament, the Ukrainian player said that he would not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine and accused Sabalenka of inflaming the situation by waiting at the net.

“Maybe he wasn’t on social media during the tournaments, but it’s pretty obvious. I’ve made a lot of statements that I don’t shake hands, so it’s pretty simple,” Svitolina said at the time.

At least four Russian players switched sides during the conflict, including new Australian Daria Kasatkina, who left last March. Anastasia Potapova announced last month that she would represent Austria instead. Two other former Russian players include Kamilla Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva (both of whom moved to Uzbekistan).

But asylum did not occur to Andreeva. “I didn’t even think about it. I heard and saw that Dasha Kasatkina changed her citizenship,” the 18-year-old said.

“Many players have changed. Right now I will only play like this. I have not received any offers. It will be like this for now.”

A spokesman for the federal government said accreditation of players at the Australian Open was a matter for Tennis Australia and the International Tennis Federation.

Tennis Australia has been contacted for comment.

Read more about the Australian Open

News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend are delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.