Vera Zvonareva was on her way to Poland to participate in the BNP Paribas Warsaw Open. However, the former No. 2 player in the world was denied entry into the country because she is from Russia and has been classified by the Polish government as an “undesirable.”
Former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva was denied entry into Poland on Friday “for reasons of state security and protection of public safety.”
The Russian was traveling on a French visa from Belgrade to Warsaw for next week's WTA 250 event. https://t.co/Q8CN8bRzwT
— TENNIS (@Tennis) July 22, 2023
The Russian player had a French visa and she was traveling from Belgrade to Warsaw. However, she was stopped after arrival and then put on a plane out of the country to Montenegro.
Zvonareva is clearly a tennis player who has not been involved in any of the hostilities between Russia and the Ukraine. However, the Polish Interior Ministry did not make such a distinction.
The decision was made on the basis that Zvonareva is “on the list of persons whose stay is undesirable in the territory of the Republic of Poland.”
“Poland consistently opposes the regimes of Putin and Lukashenko, refusing to allow people who support the actions of Russia and Belarus to enter our country,” the ministry added.
The World Tennis Association oversees the women's professional game. That authority issued a statement that seemed to call the Polish Interior Ministry's decision into question.
“The safety and well-being of all players is a top priority of the WTA. Vera has departed Poland and we will be evaluating the issue further with the event.”
The 38-year-old Vera Zvonareva was allowed to compete in the recently completed Wimbledon tournament. She participated in doubles in that tournament while partnering with Laura Siegemund.
She had previously been a runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
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