Andreeva Reportedly Prevented From Playing Russian Exhibition By Sponsor
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Teenage WTA star Mirra Andreeva reportedly could not compete at an exhibition in Russia because of her sponsor's stance against the war in Ukraine.
Russia launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine's defense of its territory continues almost three years later, and there are no signs of the war coming to an end anytime soon.
That event impacted tennis. The most controversial consequence was Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players in 2022 because of Russia's actions, leading to the ATP and WTA suspending ranking points for the prestigious Grand Slam.
Another notable moment from 2022 was a fan at the Cincinnati Open being removed from a match for wearing a Ukrainian flag during a match between two Russian players, despite being defended by other crowd members.
Wimbledon removed the ban in 2023 and 2024, but there are still no ATP or WTA tournaments held in Russia, and players from there and Belarus (which supports Russia in its war) compete under a neutral banner.
That is tough for Russian and Belarusian players since many of them have spoken out against the war. Daria Kasatkina has been one of the most vocal opponents of her government's actions in Ukraine.
Kasatkina shares a good relationship with her compatriot Andreeva. That was demonstrated by her comforting Andreeva in the trophy ceremony after beating the teenager in the Ningo Open final.
The banning of Russian events from the WTA Tour means players like Andreeva cannot compete in any ranking-point tournaments in her home country, which is undoubtedly frustrating.
However, Andreeva might have hoped to play at the Trophies of Northern Palmyra, an exhibition event held in St Petersburg from November 29th to December 1st, but she was prevented from doing so, according to a report from Russian publication Championat.
Andreeva is sponsored by the American company IMG. The Trophies of Northern Palmyra tournament director, Alexander Medvedev, confirmed to Russian News Agency TASS, as per Championat, that the teenager's sponsor refused to allow her to compete at the event.
"It would be great to see this couple at the tournament in St. Petersburg. But Mirra's sponsor is the American company IMG. We tried to talk to them, but they did not show a constructive approach."
Although disappointing for Andreeva, IMG's stance is not overly surprising. Sponsoring a player who happens to come from a country is one thing, but allowing them to compete in the country when it started a war is a more significant step.
Having said that, five ATP players who do not represent Russia or Belarus played at the exhibition event. One of these was Roberto Bautista Agut, a member of the Spanish team that lost in the quarterfinals at this year's Davis Cup Finals.
Alexander Bublik, another player who featured in the exhibition, was born in Russia but officially represents Kazakhstan. Pedro Martinez, Dusan Lajovic, and Thanasi Kokkinakis were the other ATP stars not from Russia or Belarus but who played in St Petersburg.
Players competing in Russia is controversial. Some believe it is wrong to legitimize the country after its illegal actions in Ukraine, while others think athletes competing at a tournament should not be linked to the actions of Russia's government.
