Ukrainian WTA Ace Accuses Russian and Belarusian Players of Supporting Vladimir Putin Amid Ongoing War: “They Are Dangerous”
Oleksandra Oliynykova lost to Madison Keys in her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open.
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Vladimir Putin, Oleksandra Oliynykova (Image via NBC News, X/HQ Pics)
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A day before stepping onto the Rod Laver Arena to face defending champion Madison Keys in the first round of the Australian Open, Ukrainian WTA ace Oleksandra Oliynykova sat for an interview with renowned tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg. Among other things, Oliynykova also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Oliynykova lost the match 7-6(6), 6-1, but made global headlines when she attended the press conference wearing a T-shirt to make a strong statement. The message on the T-shirt read: “I need your help to protect Ukrainian women and children but I can’t talk about it here.“
Prior to the Australian Open, when Marta Kostyuk finished runner-up at the Brisbane International, she became emotional while talking about the harsh realities people back home were facing due to Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. But she was censured by some section of the tennis community, who accused Kostyuk of making tennis political.
But Grand Slams don’t allow the players to make political statements. During the press conference, Oliynykova said she did her preparation for the Australian Open in Ukraine, and while practicing, she heard explosions. Before her trip to Melbourne, a drone hit a house just across her street, and her apartment was shaking because of it.
In that aforementioned interview with Rothenberg, Oliynykova, without naming anyone, accused several Russian and Belarusian players of supporting Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
When they see here a [Russian] player, they see just—if we will talk about WTA players—girls playing tennis. And it all looks fun: nice dresses, they’re filming some TikToks, making posts on Instagram, and they look like normal girls. And people don’t feel like these people are dangerous. But actually, if you research, you will find that many of them are supporting Putin or Lukashenko—and this is something which is super easy to find.
Oleksandra Oliynykova said
Oliynykova said that in her apartment, there were problems with electricity, heat, and water due to the attack on the energy system. She doesn’t want to spend much money on her career by having a better team and would rather support her friends and family through the prize money.
Because their opinions and the things they are doing, they are dangerous. These players are one of the reasons why my apartment was shaking before I came here. And now I’m here, and I see, like, the same kind of treatment for me and for them.
Oleksandra Oliynykova added
Oliynykova’s family left Ukraine in 2011 and stayed in Croatia for a long time. They had to leave Ukraine because her father was protesting against pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was removed from the presidency during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014.
Oleksandra Oliynykova makes her feelings known on practicing on the Rod Laver Arena
Oleksandra Oliynykova is the winner of three Challenger titles. Last year, she clinched three WTA 125 titles (Tolentino Open, Tucuman Open, and Copa LP Chile). This helped her reach the top 100.
Oliynykova made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open. During that interview with Ben Rothenberg, Oliynykova revealed how emotional she was while practicing on the Rod Laver Arena prior to the match against Madison Keys.
I practiced for the first time on such a big court; the day before yesterday, I practiced on Rod Laver Arena. And for maybe the first two minutes on court, if someone would’ve asked me what my name is, I would not be able to answer because of the emotions and impressions. Yeah, it’s a really amazing feeling.
Keys will next be locking horns with compatriot Ashlyn Krueger. Last year, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
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