Veronika Kudermetova made her fifth straight appearance at the US Open. She reached the fourth round last year at the event, her best performance at a grand slam. Kudermetova is playing under the neutral flag according to the rules. The Russian and Belarusian players can play at the events but cannot represent their countries.
A Ukrainian tennis page accused Kudermetova of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine while she practiced for the US Open. The images captured the Russian with her friends and family on the court. The tennis academy where she practiced allegedly encouraged the Russian people to join the invasion forces.
Veronika Kudermetova also thinks it’s totally fine to spend her pre @USOpen time – out of all places – in the tennis academy which regularly calls people to join the Russian armed forces. Probably the Z-flags & pro-war avatars of this tennis academy are *neutral* too @wta 🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/dsQGK44cxF
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) August 27, 2023
The images posted by the Ukrainian page showed the presence of the Z flag. The Z flag symbol signifies pro-war propaganda. Kudermetova has yet to speak about the pictures.
She made her exit in the first round of the US Open in singles and will now focus on the doubles matchup. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has affected the relationships between tennis players as it has become more hostile.
Veronika Kudermetova and Mirra Andreeva could face more trouble in the future
Russian and Belarusian players will face more problems in the future as the situation is only worsening for the athletes. A few weeks back, Mirra Andreeva was accused of liking posts that glorified the ongoing war. Dayana Yastremska had appealed to the WTA to put sanctions on the 16-year-old. However, the WTA did not heed the complaint.
Kudermetova was targeted for sporting a logo of a Russian oil company, Tatneft, on her dress at the Madrid Open. She did not repeat the act during Wimbledon, as the Russian and Belarusian players had to sign a neutrality agreement before playing at the event. The situation has gone downhill, especially on the WTA tour, as many players are facing the heat due to the conflict.
So Tatiana Prozorova qualified for her first major main draw at the US Open & will step on the Louis Armstrong Stadium vs C. Wozniacki@usopen @usta @wta @ITFTennis apparently agree that the posts the Russian tennis player liked, 50+ like these down below, are absolutely neutral pic.twitter.com/yTdxWMTo54
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) August 27, 2023
Tatiana Prozorova was also in the same situation as Andreeva. Prozorova was accused of liking pro-Vladimir Putin posts that glorified the war. The 19-year-old has not yet commented on the issue. There is no answer to the problem, as there have been continuous complaints but no conclusions.