The third highest-ranked Ukrainian player on the WTA Tour has said she will not play in an exhibition tournament if it includes players from either Russia or Belarus.
Marta Kostyuk said during an interview with BTU that she and her compatriots were not consulted over the possibility of allowing players from those countries to take part. The USTA has set up a ‘Tennis for Peace’ initiative with its signature event set to take place on August 24th which coincides with Ukraine’s independence day. The date also marks the six-month anniversary of when Russia launched their ‘special military operation’ against Ukraine.
“I’ve got an invitation to join, I think, all of the Ukrainian players have got them. No one asked if they would be fine to see Russia/Belarus players play there. I won’t play if players from aggressor countries play.” Said Kostyuk.
“Nobody asked our opinion on such an idea to invite RUS/BLR players. Nobody is interested in that.”
One of those who are rumoured to be taking part in the event is Victoria Azarenka. The New York Times quoted an official as saying that the two-time Grand Slam champion would take part. However, Azarenka didn’t reply to the Times when a request was made for her to speak about her potential involvement in the initiative.
Meanwhile, Kostyuk has criticized the former world No.1 for possibly taking part in the exhibition despite not having a ‘public stance’ concerning the war. However, Azarenka has previously issued a statement on March 2nd saying she was ‘devastated’ by events unfolding in the region.
“If Azarenka wants to play… I know that at some point she talked to (Sergiy) Stakhovsky and (Gael) Monfils, but not to us. Maybe my ranking is not high enough to see me, but I was very vocal about the war, I was supportive of the ban, so I thought I was pretty active to be seen,” said Kostyuk.
“So you’ve never talked to us about Russia’s war, we haven’t seen a clear public stance, you don’t have a friendly relationship with us, but you want to join a pro-Ukrainian event. You don’t talk to us, but you just go and do this. I don’t get it.”
Whilst it is unclear over the potential participation of players from the countries involved in the war, the USTA’s initiative will still feature some of the world’s best players. Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Matteo Berrettini and Felix Auger-Aliassime are among some of those who will take part.
Tickets for the event will be priced at $25 and $50 with proceeds going to the Ukraine crisis relief fund GlobalGiving. The USTA hopes to raise a total of $2M for the cause over the next three weeks whilst the US Open takes place.