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Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev have responded to criticism from Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova at the Australian Open after she called for them to be banned following the Russian invasion of her country.
Oliynykova, the world No 92, told outlets The Age and L’Equipe that she thinks it’s “very wrong” for Russian and Belarusian players to be allowed to compete on the ATP and WTA tours following the invasion of Ukraine four years ago. Players from Russia and Belarus have continued to compete as ‘neutral’ athletes since the 2022 invasion, with the exception of that year’s Wimbledon.
Oliynykova, who lives in Kyiv while her father fights on the frontline for the Ukrainian army, wore a t-shirt to her press conference following her defeat to defending champion Madison Keys that read: “I need your help to protect Ukrainian women and children but I can’t talk about it here.”
In further interviews, the 25-year-old Oliynykova called out world No 1 Sabalenka, who is Belarusian, and said that players who support the leaders of Russia and Belarus are “dangerous people”. Oliynykova was also critical of Medvedev and other players who participated in an exhibition event in St Petersberg in December, which was sponsored by the state-owned oil company Gazprom.
When Sabalenka was asked about Oliynykova’s comments following her second-round victory over China’s Bai Zhuoxuan on Wednesday, the world No 1 said: “I have spoken a lot about that before, obviously. I want peace, and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that. Other than that, I have nothing else to say.”
When asked if Oliynykova’s comments were unfair, Sabalenka replied: “Listen, I’m here for tennis. It’s a tennis event. I have said enough in the past and just don’t want to talk politics here. Thank you.”
At the French Open in 2023, Sabalenka was confronted by a Ukrainian journalist with questions about the invasion of Ukraine and whether she supported Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
She skipped two press conferences, following her third and fourth-round matches, citing her mental health. When she returned to the press conference room following the quarter-finals, Sabalenka said: “It’s a tough question. I don’t support war, meaning I don’t support Lukashenko right now.”
Medvedev, the former world No 1 and US Open champion, was also asked about Oliynykova’s comments, including her condemnation of the players who participated in the Gazprom exhibition match in St Petersberg.
He said: “In general, I respect all the opinions of all the people. On the court actually a bit different, right, but outside the court, I respect all the opinions. But that’s her opinion, and honestly, I don’t have anything to say about it.”
Oliynykova said following her first-round match against Keys that there was an explosion near her home in Kyiv on the night before she travelled to Australia for the tournament.
“There was a couple of massive attacks last night I spent in Ukraine before the trip here,” she said. “There was explosion just near my home, and a drone hit the home just across the road. My apartment was literally shaking because of the explosion.”