John Isner Questions Ban on Russian Ice Hockey Team at Winter Olympics: “So Performative”

John Isner also thinks banning the Russian and Belarusian flags beside the players' profiles is ridiculous.

John Isner Questions Ban on Russian Ice Hockey Team at Winter Olympics: “So Performative”

John Isner (Image via X/ATP Tour)

In Short
  • John Isner criticized the ban on Russian and Belarusian ice hockey players from international competitions, calling it "performative."
  • He argued that individual athletes should not be punished for their countries' actions and questioned the fairness of such bans.
  • Journalist Ben Rothenberg countered Isner's views by referencing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the political implications of Russian athletes' associations.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and since then, the Russian and Belarusian ice hockey players have been banned from competing in international tournaments. They are not participating in the ongoing Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Some individual athletes from both countries, however, are competing as neutral players. Former ATP player John Isner is not at all a fan of the international sporting bodies’ decision to ban the Russian and Belarusian players from competing in team events, as well as playing in tournaments as neutral athletes. He even called out the ATP and the WTA for banning the flags of both these countries.

[USA flag emoji] all the way in hockey but this isn’t best on best without the Russians in it. So performative.

John Isner wrote on X

Journalist Ben Rothenberg did not share the same opinion and reminded Isner about Russia’s invasion. “Then they shouldn’t have performatively invaded and occupied Ukraine,” Rothenberg wrote.

“They as in Alex Ovechkin and Nikita Kucherov?” Isner named two hockey players from Russia, and in response, Rothenberg pointed out Ovechkin’s Instagram profile photo, in which he posed alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ovechkin has had Putin in his Instagram profile photo throughout the entire war so I don’t think he’s exactly a non-political actor in this era. I wish Russia was in Olympic hockey, too, on a competitive level, but I also entirely understand and agree with why they’re not.

Ben Rothenberg wrote

But Isner argued back, saying, “I wouldn’t equate an Instagram profile photo to political motives“. The American also agreed when a user said players should not pay for the countries’ wrongdoing, questioning whether the same rule applies to all countries.

John Isner recalls a practice session with a 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz

Rafael Nadal doesn’t think Carlos Alcaraz should be considered a promising prospect, saying the seven-time Grand Slam champion has already become a legend. John Isner had a practice session with 17-year-old Alcaraz in Acapulco in 2021, when Alcaraz was ranked No. 160 and played the tournament as the wild card. Isner, after that practice session, had predicted that Alcaraz would one day become a World No.1 player.

Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

We had a 5 pm practice on Centre Court, it’s the Sunday before the tournament, and it’s brutally hot. I was hitting with a 17-year-old kid, and I’m not making this up, he was so excited to hit with me. He was like, ‘This is awesome’. He was so good! I did tell my coach after that practice that he was going to be number one in the world because the ball just comes off his racket differently, even at 17 years old.

John Isner said on the Nothing Major podcast

The following season, Alcaraz lifted his career’s first Major title at the US Open and was crowned as World No.1. In the recently concluded Australian Open, the Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic to win his career’s first title in the tournament.

He would not take mini water breaks. The guy put me in a body bag. It was so hot, and he just kept ripping and ripping and ripping. I said time-out, Carlos! I had to go to the sideline and get a sip of water out there. He was like ‘all good’. He was so nice!

John Isner added

Alcaraz skipped the Rotterdam Open, where he was the defending champion. He will next compete at the Qatar Open, where he lost to Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals last year. The last time Alcaraz won an ATP 500 title was at the Japan Open by defeating Taylor Fritz.

Also read: Boris Becker Slammed for Recently Criticizing Emma Raducanu: “A Mean-Spirited Opinion”