Will ATP and WTA Remove US Flag from Player Profiles as They Did for Russia and Belarus?

Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys– all of these top 10 WTA players have booked a spot in the third round of the ongoing Australian Open. On the men’s side, two top 10 players, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, have also progressed to the third round. One thing is common about the aforementioned six players. They represent the American flag.

But World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka cannot play under the Belarusian flag, and neither can World No.7 Mirra Andreeva under the Russian flag. On the men’s side, World No.10 Alexander Bublik was born in Russia, but he changed his sporting nationality to Kazakhstan back in 2016.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to compete in ATP or WTA-sanctioned tournaments, they cannot represent the Russian or Belarusian flags. The international tennis bodies took this decision about a week after the invasion.

Wimbledon, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, imposed a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2022 after pressure from the UK government. They lifted the ban the following year after opposition from other tennis bodies, including the ATP and the WTA, and they decided to strip the grass-court Major of ranking points. However, the Russian and Belarusian athletes still cannot play the two prestigious team events: the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup.

Russia also cannot host official tennis events. Due to the ban, Northern Palmyra Trophies, a mixed-team exhibition event in St. Petersburg, replaced the sanctioned event. The tournament is sponsored by Gazprom, the state-backed energy giant funding the war.  

But in spite of its being a controversial event, it doesn’t fail to attract ATP and WTA players. Last year, players such as former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev, Bublik, Karen Khachanov, Anastasia Potapova, Tallon Griekspoor, Yulia Putintseva, and Diana Shnaider signed up for the event.

Political polarization has intensified since the Russia-Ukraine war

Last year, American former player John Isner condemned the ban on Russian and Belarusian flags. “Can the Russian tennis players get their flag back? Bit ridiculous now,” wrote Isner, a former World No.8 and a one-time Grand Slam semifinalist, on X. As expected, the post drew heavy backlash, receiving mixed reactions, with those supporting his views saying the players are not responsible for the war.

But Ukrainian WTA ace Oleksandra Oliynykova, for sure, doesn’t share Isner’s opinion. After losing to Madison Keys on her Grand Slam debut in the ongoing Australian Open, Oliynykova entered the press room with a T-shirt with an emotional message on it: “I need your help to protect Ukrainian children and women, but I can’t talk about it here.” Oliynykova’s father is fighting in the war, and her apartment back home shook due to an explosion nearby.

Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova spoke up about the war and Russian terror at the Australian Open.

She continues to train in Ukraine under missile attacks. She has no electricity, water, or heating at home, like probably about half of Kyiv’s residents. Huge respect! pic.twitter.com/U206l169ET

— Victoria (@victoriaslog) January 20, 2026

She, in fact, accused several Belarusian and Russian players, including Sabalenka, of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, calling her fellow players “dangerous people”. The 25-year-old also condemned Daniil Medvedev for his participation in the aforementioned exhibition event in St. Petersburg.

Russian-born players like Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia Potapova, Polina Kudermetova, Kamilla Rakhimova, Maria Timofeeva, Elina Avanesyan, Alexander Shevchenko, and Natela Dzalamidze, among others, switched their sporting nationalities. Mirra Andreeva, the 18-year-old, has never thought of giving up her Russian citizenship, and neither has Medvedev. Sabalenka believes that if she switches, it would be a “betrayal” of her home country.

American players have been asked political questions at the Australian Open

United States President Donald Trump said that, without using force, he wants to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous region in Denmark, which is also one of the founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Due to the 1951 deal, the US is allowed to “exercise exclusive jurisdiction over (its) defense areas in Greenland” without violating Danish sovereignty.

Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Taylor Fritz, and Madison Keys were asked about the current political climate in the United States. Gauff said it’s her “purpose” to “uplift” the Black community through donations and by using her platform to talk about their problems.

Fritz covered his face as if he looked uncomfortable upon being asked this question, and said whatever he would be saying would “get taken out of context. So, I’d really rather not do something that’s going to cause a big distraction for me in the middle of the tournament.“

Anisimova is always “proud to represent” America, but when the reporter in the press conference was not satisfied with her answer and pressed her to provide clarification, her answer was: “I don’t think that’s relevant.” Keys said she’s “hopeful that we, as a country, can come together and get back to the values that I think make our country great.”

Amanda Anisimova was asked if what’s been happening in the U.S. over the last year complicates her feelings of playing under the American flag

“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players how it feels to play under the American flag right now. I’m curious how you feel..”… pic.twitter.com/hFMYBT05SE

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 22, 2026

So if America invades Greenland, would the tennis bodies ban the US flag beside the player profile as well? Tennis fans are wondering about this a great deal, with many saying they’re convinced it would not happen because the USA is a host of a Grand Slam- the US Open.

Then some said that if the tennis bodies were so adamant about holding countries responsible for any invasion, then they would have already banned the USA after it attacked Iraq in 2003. Although Trump assured the USA won’t use force, it remains to be seen how the situation unfolds in the future and how the tennis bodies respond to that.

Also read: (Video) Mirra Andreeva Reportedly Drops the F Bomb After Defeating Maria Sakkari at the Australian Open