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 organizers initially decided to ban all players from both countries. As a result, the tournament was stripped of ranking points that year. Wimbledon has lifted its ban for the 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 cannot participate in Olympic teams.
In international football, Russia is banned from competing in tournaments organized by governing body FIFA or European football’s top body, UEFA.
Several players were asked about Oliynyk’s comments on Wednesday.
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Russian player Diana Shnaider, who beat Australia’s Talia Gibson in the second round, received the award from Putin in September alongside compatriot Mirra Andreeva. She previously played in a controversial Russian tournament funded by state energy company Gazprom.
“We’ve been on tour all year and I’ve rarely seen my family … so my only motivation to play in St. Petersburg is just to visit my family,” she said of her decision to play in her home country.
“I don’t have.” [seen] what comments [Oliynykova] she did, and I don’t know what her intention was there, to be honest,” Shnaider said. “I’m here to … win as many matches as possible and play great tennis.”
When asked about the award, Shnaider said, “Me and Mirra had a great year together. And I think just to have a silver medal at the Olympics, that was an amazing achievement.”
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who also competed in the tournament in St. Petersburg, said that individual players are entitled to their own opinion.
“Out of court, I respect all opinions. That’s her opinion,” he said. “Honestly, I have nothing to say.
Russian player Andrey Rublev said he was unaware of Oliynyk’s comments, but that he also respects the right of every player to share their opinion.
“I think everyone can say what they want,” Rublev said. “That’s why they have.” [a] platform game. That’s why you have interviews. So share your feelings.”
Aryna Sabalenkova of Belarus waits at the net, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine refuses to shake hands.Credit: Getty Images
Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina, who has previously spoken openly about the war, said the topic was “gone” in her mind.
“Well, the war has been going on for four years and. [we’ve] he talked about it many, many times,” Svitolina told reporters at the post-match press conference.
“And for me it’s gone now, the topic. The opinion has already been taken, the decision has been made by the WTA [and] ATP.
“Right now we can go out and try to perform well, try to represent our country in the right way and use our voices to bring attention, bring help and remember we can use our voices to bring help and attention to our homeland.”
Svitolina made headlines in 2023 for refusing to shake Sabalenko’s hand after their quarter-final match at Roland-Garros.
The Ukrainian player said before the tournament that she would not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine and accused Sabalenko of inflaming the situation by waiting at the net.
“Maybe not during tournaments on social media, but it’s pretty clear. I’ve made several statements that I don’t shake hands, so it’s pretty simple,” Svitolina said at the time.
A federal government spokesman said the 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.
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