The WTA has confirmed that a technical error was to blame for a Russian flag showing up next to a player’s name during a recent broadcast of the ATX Open. Russian and Belarusian players have been competing as neutrals in tennis for the last four years, and their flags and country names are not displayed during competition, in draws or on scoring platforms.
However, viewers noticed that the Russian flag appeared next to Oksana Selekhmeteva’s name during her first-round match against Alycia Parks in Austin earlier this week, after she won the first set 6-4. A screenshot was shared on social media, leading fans to question whether Russian tennis players were no longer neutral athletes.
The WTA has now confirmed to Express Sport that this was a technical error, which was fixed immediately. It is understood that Russian and Belarusian players retain their neutral status in tennis, and the flag policy remains as is.
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On March 1 2022, tennis’ major governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, ITF, and the four Grand Slams, released a joint statement in the wake of the war in Ukraine. They called for “violence to end and peace to return”. The statement also outlined measures to suspend official tournaments in Russia and Belarus, and confirmed that players from these nations would not compete under the country names or flags.
It read: “The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions and, as a result, are in agreement with the following decisions and actions: The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.
“The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.
“At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.”
Several Russian tennis players have switched nationality in recent years. The most high-profile nationality change came from Daria Kasatkina, an openly gay player who has been vocal in condemning the war in Ukraine. Last year, the former world No. 8 announced her decision to represent Australia with immediate effect. “I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag. Thank you all for your understanding and continued support,” she wrote.
During the off-season, Anastasia Potapova switched allegiance to Austria. Kamilla Rakhimova and Polina Kudermetova have started representing Uzbekistan in recent months.
Over in Austin, Selekhmeteva went on to beat Parks 6-4 3-6 6-3. She then faced Rakhimova, clinching a 6-2 7-5 victory to move into the quarter-finals.
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