‘Obviously, I want peace’: Tennis players respond following political comments on war

Belarusian world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has reiterated her desire for peace after being singled out by a Ukrainian player who called for Russian and Belarusian players to be banned while the war in the region is ongoing.

Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova said on Tuesday that the inclusion of players from the two countries was “very wrong,” even though they compete under neutral flags.

Aryna Sabalenka during her second round singles match. Credit: Eddie Jim

Sabalenka was explicitly named by the Ukrainian for reportedly signing a letter supporting Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko during protests in 2020, two years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The world No.1 has since stated that she does not support the war or Lukashenko, who has close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin. She refused to buy into any political debate after her straight-sets win over China’s Bai Zhuoxuan on Wednesday.

“I have spoken a lot about that before, obviously, I want peace. If I could change anything I would definitely do that, [but] other than that I have nothing else to say,” Sabalenka said at a press conference after her second-round win.

Asked if it was appropriate that she was called out individually by a rival player, she politely declined to respond.

Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova.Credit: Eddie Jim

“Listen, I’m here for tennis. It’s a tennis event, I’ve said enough in the past and I don’t want to talk politics.”

The tennis world has grappled for years with how to respond to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.

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

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In 2022, Wimbledon organisers initially decided to ban all players from the two countries. As a result, the tournament was stripped of its ranking points that year. Wimbledon lifted the ban for the 2023 tournament.

The grand slams’ 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 are barred from Olympic team events.

In international soccer, Russia are banned from competing in tournaments organised by governing body FIFA or European soccer’s top body UEFA.

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

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Russian player Diana Shnaider, who defeated Australian Talia Gibson in the second round, accepted an award from Vladimir Putin in September alongside compatriot Mirra Andreeva. She previously played in a controversial Russian tournament funded by state-owned energy company Gazprom.

“We’ve been on tour for the whole year, and I’ve rarely seen my family ... so my only motivations to be playing in St Petersburg is just to visit my family,” she said of her decision to play in her home country.

“I haven’t [seen] what comments [Oliynykova] made, and I don’t know what was her intention there, to be honest,” Shnaider said. “I’m here to … win as many matches as I can and show great tennis.”

When questioned about the award, Shnaider said: “Me and Mirra, we had such a great year together. And I think just to have a silver medal at Olympics, it was an amazing achievement.”

Former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev, who also competed at the St Petersburg tournament, said that individual players were entitled their own points of view.

“Outside the court, I respect all the opinions. That’s her opinion. Honestly, I don’t have anything to say about it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russian player Andrey Rublev said he was unaware of Oliynykova’s comments but that he also respected each player’s right to share their opinion.

“Everyone, I guess, can say whatever they want. That’s why they have [a] platform. That’s why you have interviews. So you share your feelings,” Rublev said.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka waits at the net as Elina Svitolina of Ukraine refuses to shake hands.Credit: Getty Images

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

“Well, the war’s been ongoing for four years and [we’ve] talked about it many, many times,” Svitolina told reporters in a post-match press conference.

“And for me, now it’s gone, the topic. The stand’s been taken already, a decision made by the WTA [and] ATP.

“Right now, what we can do is go out there and 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 we can use our voices to bring the help and the attention to our homeland.”

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

The Ukrainian player had said before the tournament that she would not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine, and accused Sabalenka of inflaming the situation by waiting at the net.

“Maybe she’s not on social media during the tournaments, but it is pretty clear. I made multiple statements that I’m not shaking hands, so it’s quite simple,” Svitolina said at the time.

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

Tennis Australia was contacted for comment.

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