Paris, May 30 - Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova sharply criticized Russian tennis players on Saturday for their stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, following her third-round exit at the French Open.
Oliynykova lost in straight sets to Russia's Diana Shnaider, whom she had also criticized earlier in the week. The Ukrainian has been outspoken about the war, accusing Russian players of participating in tournaments sponsored by Russian companies linked to the war effort and promoting Russian positions on social media.
"If they continue to spread this propaganda, then there should be some mechanism in our tour to stop this," Oliynykova said. "The silence here on tour is dangerous."
Since Russia's 2022 invasion, Russian and Belarusian players have competed as neutral athletes. When asked about Oliynykova's comments, Shnaider declined to discuss the war, saying she was there to talk about tennis.