SUMMARY
- The Australian Open has witnessed the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Ukrainian players have voiced their disappointment, particularly at their peers who participated in an exhibition event in Russia.
The first week of the Australian Open has witnessed extraordinary action on the courts. As excellent as the matches have been, players have also felt the political undercurrent at the tournament. Since Russia waged war on Ukraine, every sphere of life has been affected, including tennis. This year is no exception, but Ukrainian players have voiced their unhappiness over the long rope handed to Russian and Belarusian stars.
Ukrainian players have adopted a no-handshake rule with players from either country. It carried over to Melbourne when Lesia Tsurenko refused to shake Aryna Sabalenka’s hand. The two players had clashed in the third round, and Sabalenka handed her a 6-0, 6-0 drubbing at the Rod Laver Arena.
Since many celebrated Tsurenko’s loss, she took to social media to remind everyone that the war was still waging. She spoke of her friend, who returned from Russian captivity after one and a half years. Lesia stated that the tennis court is not real life.
Real life is not about tennis court… pic.twitter.com/zVtaNHzF2U
— Lesia Tsurenko (@LTsurenko) January 20, 2024
Since the war began, Marta Kostyuk has been one of the most vocal Ukrainian players on tour. She pleaded with the governing bodies of tennis to ban Russian and Belarusian players. However, her requests fell on deaf ears.
Kostyuk took on the young Russian, Elina Avanesyan, in the third round. After defeating the youngster, she spoke about how disappointed she was with the actions of Russian players. Moreover, Kostyuk also slammed the players who participated in a Russian exhibition tournament recently.
“I truly don’t understand these players. I don’t know why they did it. Yeah, congrats to Russia’s propaganda. It works,” she said (via Tennis World USA).
The Australian Open organizers have made some changes to the rules since the war began. However, none of the tennis bodies have barred players from playing in Russia.
Players at the Australian Open spoke up on this issue
Gazprom sponsored an exhibition tournament in Russia last year. It was played between December 1 and 3 in St. Petersburg. Since the Australian Open kicked off, two players who participated in the event have spoken up recently.
Adrian Mannarino and Roberto Bautista Agut took part in the event in a bid to prepare for the Grand Slam. Mannarino added that he was a professional player first, and he was just doing his job. Agut, who was sidelined in 2023 due to an injury, said he wanted match practice.
ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, did not take action against any participating players. The official stance was that players were independent and were free to choose where they played.
As the business end of the Australian Open approaches, the tension will keep rising. Like last year, Russian and Belarusian players can only play under a neutral flag this year. As long as the war goes on, these tensions will persist.