WTA Ace from Ukraine Slams Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider’s Neutrality: “They Received Prizes from Vladimir Putin”
Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva took home one and two singles titles, respectively.
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Mirra Andreeva, Vladimir Putin, Diana Shnaider (Image via X/Tennis Channel, Shashank Mattoo, The Tennis Letter)
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Russian and Belarusian athletes play on the ATP and the WTA Tours as neutral athletes because of the countries’ war against Ukraine. But Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova has questioned Russian aces Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider‘s neutrality.
Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from team events like the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. They were also banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, with those who participated playing as neutral athletes.
Oliynykova’s father, who was also her manager, is in Ukraine fighting in the war. Following her win in Colina, Chile, in a Challenger tournament, she paid tribute to her father.
According to Saque y Red, Oliynykova claimed that despite many Russian players supporting the war, calling out Andreeva and Shnaider for receiving prizes from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Neutrality should be put to the test. Many support the war. For some, not representing their country is enough, but it isn’t. Even without a flag, they can play without limits. Andreeva and Shnaider received prizes from Putin. We need to talk more about this. It’s a big problem because they have worldwide recognition while simultaneously supporting the Russian government.
Oleksandra Oliynykova said
Last month, Oliynykova reached the top 100 in the WTA rankings for the first time. The 24-year-old was seen in action in a WTA125k event in Quito, where she played as the second seed. Her run ended in the round of 16 at the hands of Polona Hercog in three sets.
We Ukrainians dream of peace, but it doesn’t depend on us. We are only defending our country, and the Russians are the only ones who don’t want peace.
Oleksandra Oliynykova added
The World No.96 finished the season with a 59-21 win-loss record. She has yet to win a tour-level title. Shnaider, on the other hand, took home one title this year. The five-time WTA singles titlist clinched the Monterrey Open by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets. Last year, she took home four titles, including her career’s first WTA 500 at the Bad Homburg Open by defeating Donna Vekic.
She was last seen in action at the Japan Open, where Anna Kalinskaya knocked her out in the round of 16. The 21-year-old finished the season in the No.21 spot in singles, while in doubles, on the back of two titles, she secured the 11th spot.
Russian tennis chief says Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider will not be leaving Russia
Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev doesn’t think Mirra Andreeva or Diana Shnaider would leave Russia like several players, who left the country after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A total of nine Russian players have changed their nationality since 2022.
Anastasia Potapova was the latest to do so. Prior to her, Kamila Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva switched their nationality. This year, apart from these players, Daria Kasatkina also changed her nationality as she now represents Australia.
No. Neither she [Andreeva] nor Shnaider. Imagine I have 1,070 tennis players playing abroad. They’re like army men! And we keep 350 on our national teams. The rest are on their own… I can’t say anything about Potapova. For us, if this isn’t a complete surprise, then it’s a surprise that she did it. She lived in Austria for two years. I can only assume she wants to participate in the Olympics. She doesn’t make our team based on the rankings. She kept complaining about visa problems.
Shamil Tarpischev told Russian sports website Championat
This season, Andreeva took home two trophies, both WTA 1000 ones. She first defeated Clara Tauson in the Dubai Open, following which, she went past Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final.
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