The echoes of war are reaching the tennis courts, and a Ukrainian player is demanding accountability from her Russian and Belarusian counterparts.
Oleksandra Oliynykova, currently ranked world No. 92 in Ukraine, has voiced a strong plea for Russian and Belarusian tennis players to be barred from participating in competitions. Her stance is rooted in her belief that certain players who have shown support for the presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko respectively, are essentially "dangerous people." This sentiment comes amid the ongoing conflict stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Since the invasion, Russian and Belarusian players have been prohibited from representing their nations in major tennis circuits like the ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam events. While Wimbledon took a firm stance by banning them in 2022, this decision was met with a penalty from the ATP and WTA, who consequently stripped the tournament of its ranking points.
Oliynykova specifically pointed fingers at prominent figures in the sport, including the Belarusian world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and two highly-regarded Russian players: Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, and the promising young talent Diana Shnaider. Oliynykova alleges that these athletes have either actively engaged with or publicly praised state-sponsored activities or their respective national leaders.
In a candid interview with the French newspaper L'Équipe, following her straight-sets defeat to the defending champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open, Oliynykova shared her deep-seated feelings. "These people have the power to speak out," she stated. "Not only do they not, but worse, many support Lukashenko and Putin, who are behind the explosion that shook my apartment in Kyiv."
Her words carried a heavy emotional weight: "It’s their fault that my country and my people are suffering. They support this, they finance this, they participate in Russian propaganda. It’s because of them that innocent civilians, women, children, are being killed right now in my country. It’s unacceptable. In fact, I feel like I’m living next to dangerous people."
Oliynykova detailed specific instances to support her claims. She alleged that Sabalenka had signed a letter endorsing Lukashenko in 2020, during a period of protests against his leadership in Belarus. Furthermore, she mentioned that Shnaider had accepted an honor from Putin after securing a silver medal in women's doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, alongside Mirra Andreeva. Oliynykova also criticized both Shnaider and Medvedev for their participation in an exhibition match held in Saint Petersburg last December, an event organized by Gazprom, a state-controlled energy giant.
But here's where it gets controversial... When confronted with Oliynykova's accusations during their respective press conferences, Sabalenka, Medvedev, and Shnaider offered their perspectives.
Sabalenka, after a decisive win, expressed, "I want peace, and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that." When questioned about being singled out, the four-time Grand Slam champion maintained, "I’m here for tennis. It’s a tennis event. I have said enough in the past and I just don’t want to talk politics here, thank you." This is not the first time Sabalenka has faced such questions; at the 2023 French Open, she initially declined to comment on whether she had signed a letter supporting Lukashenko, even skipping subsequent press conferences. She later clarified, "I don’t support war, meaning I don’t support Lukashenko right now."
Shnaider, the No. 23 seed, explained her participation in the Saint Petersburg exhibition by stating her primary motivation was to visit her family, given how rarely she gets to be home. She questioned whether Oliynykova truly knew her or Andreeva when asked about the honor from Putin. Both Shnaider and Andreeva competed at the Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN).
Medvedev, ranked No. 11, acknowledged Oliynykova's views with respect but opted not to elaborate further on the matter.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina, when asked about the potential ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes, stated, "Well, the war has been ongoing for four years. I mean, we talked about it many, many times. The stand has been taken already. Decision has been made by WTA, ATP. Right now what we can do is go out there, try to perform well, try to represent our country in the right way, and use our voices to bring the attention, to bring the help, and to not forget that, you know, we can use our voices to bring the help, to bring the attention to our homeland."
The unique position of tennis, with a significant number of Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian players frequently competing against each other, makes it particularly susceptible to the war's influence. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded tens of thousands of civilian casualties since Russia's invasion began in February 2022.
And this is the part most people miss... While some athletes have remained silent or deflected political questions, others have used their platform to express their stance. Russian player Andrey Rublev famously wrote "no war please" on a camera lens shortly after the invasion. In a series of interviews, Russian player Daria Kasatkina described the war as a "full-blown nightmare" and also came out as gay. Kasatkina has since defected to Australia, stating she could "breathe" again after becoming a citizen. Several other Russian players have also changed their nationalities to represent other countries, such as Kamilla Rakhimova and Polina Kudermetova switching to Uzbekistan, and Anastasia Potapova to Austria.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe athletes should be held responsible for the political actions of their governments, even if they themselves have not directly participated? Should players who remain silent on political matters be treated differently from those who have shown support for their leaders? Share your opinions in the comments below.
