At the 2026 Australian Open, Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova has accused top Russian and Belarusian tennis players of supporting their leaders amid the war in Ukraine, calling for their exclusion from the sport. She specifically targeted world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, and Diana Shnaider for alleged ties to state activities. The comments have sparked responses from the players involved, highlighting ongoing tensions in tennis.
Oleksandra Oliynykova, Ukraine's world No. 92, made her remarks after a first-round loss to defending champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. In an interview with French newspaper L'Équipe, the 25-year-old, who trains in Ukraine despite ongoing conflict, described players supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko as "dangerous people."
"These people have the power to speak out," Oliynykova said. "Not only do they not, but worse, many support Lukashenko and Putin, who are behind the explosion that shook my apartment in Kyiv. It’s their fault that my country and my people are suffering. They support this, they finance this, they participate in Russian propaganda. It’s because of them that innocent civilians, women, children, are being killed right now in my country. It’s unacceptable. In fact, I feel like I’m living next to dangerous people."
She alleged that Sabalenka signed a 2020 letter backing Lukashenko during Belarus protests, Shnaider accepted an honor from Putin after her 2024 Olympic silver, and both Shnaider and Medvedev participated in a December 2025 Gazprom-organized exhibition in Saint Petersburg. Russian and Belarusian players have competed as neutrals since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though bans exist in other sports and Wimbledon enforced one in 2022.
Sabalenka, after her second-round win over Zhuoxuan Bai on January 21, emphasized peace: "I want peace, and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that." She added, "I’m here for tennis. It’s a tennis event. I have said enough in the past and I just don’t want to talk politics here, thank you." Previously, at the 2023 French Open, she denied supporting Lukashenko or the war.
Shnaider, after beating Talia Gibson, said her Saint Petersburg participation was to visit family: "I rarely see my family... my only motivation is to be playing in Saint Petersburg just to visit my family, to show some great tennis for my fans." Medvedev, following his win over Quentin Halys, respected Oliynykova's views but declined further comment.
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, set to face Shnaider on January 23, reiterated the WTA and ATP's stance: "The stand has been taken already. Decision has been made by WTA, ATP. Right now what we can do is go out there, try to perform well... and use our voices to bring the attention to our homeland."
The war, starting February 2022, has led to over 55,600 recorded civilian casualties by late 2025, per UN estimates. Tennis's frequent matchups among these nationalities amplify the conflict's impact on the tour.
