Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka Respond to ‘Dangerous People’ Claim by Ukrainian Tennis Star at the Australian Open
Oleksandra Oliynykova calls for Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev to be banned amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
Follow Us
Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev (via Tennis365)
🔍 Explore this post with:
The Australian Open has kicked off, but the headlines aren’t about aces, tie-breaks, or upset victories. Instead, a geopolitical storm has erupted right in the middle of Melbourne Park, and it centers on one furious demand: ban the Russian and Belarusian players.
Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova has officially taken the gloves off. In a move that has shaken the tournament’s organizers, she publicly demanded that top-tier stars Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev be removed from the competition.
So, how do they respond when a colleague says they shouldn’t be allowed to work? Both Sabalenka and Medvedev have stuck to a script that they’ve probably had memorized for years now. Sabalenka said in her Australian Open press conference:
Well, I’ve 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.
Medvedev echoed this sentiment. The Russian star, known for his tactical brilliance and sometimes volatile relationship with crowds, played defense. He said in his presser:
In general, I respect all the opinions of all the people. I try… on the court, actually a bit different, right (smiles)? 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.
With the war in Ukraine now dragging into its fourth exhausting year, the “neutral flag” compromise that tennis authorities have relied on since 2022 is looking increasingly fragile. For Oliynykova and many of her compatriots, seeing players like Medvedev compete feels like a slap in the face while their home country remains under invasion.
The spark that reignited the fire
For the past few years, the tennis world has been walking a tightrope. They let players from Russia and Belarus compete, but only if they did it quietly—no anthems, no flags, no country names on the scoreboard. It was supposed to be the middle ground. But for Oleksandra Oliynykova, currently ranked No. 92 in the world, that middle ground has collapsed.
Oliynykova didn’t mince words when she spoke to the press on January 21. She called it “very wrong” for these athletes to be chasing Grand Slam titles and hefty paychecks while the conflict rages on. Her argument cuts through the bureaucratic noise: neutrality on the court doesn’t erase the reality on the ground.
This isn’t just about policy for her; it’s personal. And by calling out 11th seed Daniil Medvedev and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka by name, she has forced the tennis world to look directly at the elephant in the room.
Why the “Neutral Flag” feels empty to critics
The core of the issue lies in the concept of neutrality. Since 2022, the ATP and WTA have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to continue their careers, provided they strip away national symbols. But critics argue that everyone knows exactly where Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka are from.
When Medvedev steps onto Rod Laver Arena, the world doesn’t see a man from a fictional country; they see a Russian superstar. For Ukrainian athletes like Oliynykova, this “neutrality” is a technicality that minimizes the suffering caused by the war.
They argue that sport has never truly been separate from politics, and allowing these athletes a global platform—regardless of the flag next to their name—normalizes the aggressor nations.
This isn’t the first time the tennis world has been here. Everyone remembers Wimbledon 2022, when the All England Club announced a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian players. It was a controversial move that split the tennis world down the middle.
While other tournaments didn’t follow suit, that ban set a precedent. It proved that excluding top players like Medvedev is possible if a tournament decides that moral positioning outweighs sporting integrity. Oliynykova is essentially asking the Australian Open to pull a “Wimbledon,” but four years into the conflict, tournament directors seem hesitant to rock the boat again.
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)