Ukraine event drops Azarenka amid 'sensitivities'

NEW YORK • The US Open's attempt to show that sports could help build a bridge to peace in a time of war suffered a major blow on Wednesday, when it was forced to drop Victoria Azarenka from participating in an exhibition to raise money for relief efforts in Ukraine just hours before the start.

The move came after Ukrainian players complained about the Belarusian's participation in the Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition held the same night at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, where the final Grand Slam of the year takes place next week.

The exhibition showcased some of the sport's biggest stars, past and present, including Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and John McEnroe.

The United States Tennis Association announced in a statement: "Vika is a strong player leader, and we appreciate her willingness to participate. Given the sensitivities to Ukrainian players, and the ongoing conflict, we believe this is the right course of action for us."

Azarenka later tweeted: "Never take for granted the impact of a kind gesture."

When the exhibition was announced earlier this month, her planned participation was seen as a significant statement.

But Ukrainian players, such as Marta Kostyuk, were unhappy that they were not made aware of, or consulted about that decision, especially one being staged on Ukraine's Independence Day.

The likes of Dayana Yastremska and Lesia Tsurenko have also spoken about their discomfort with being around Russian and Belarusian players, some of whom, they assume, support Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus is being used as a staging ground for Russia's war in Ukraine.

A majority of athletes from Russia and Belarus have also resisted speaking out against the war or expressing any sympathy for victims in Ukraine for a variety of reasons.

Azarenka had been highly critical of Wimbledon's decision to unilaterally bar players from Russia and Belarus from playing in the grass-court Slam in June.

The two-time Major champion now largely lives in the United States but for years had a friendly relationship with President Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and has appeared with the former world No. 1 on multiple occasions.

During the Citi Open in Washington earlier this month, Azarenka told tennis.com that Wimbledon had been "a big opportunity to show how sports can unite".

"I think we missed that opportunity, but I hope that we can still show it," she added.

Tennis Plays for Peace, comprising all seven of tennis' governing bodies, including the four Grand Slam events, has raised more than US$1 million (S$1.39 million) in humanitarian aid and additionally helped the US Open surpass US$1.2 million in funds raised for Ukraine relief.

The entire ticket revenue from the event was donated to GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, which supports humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine as well as surrounding regions where refugees have fled to.

Meanwhile, Czech top seed Barbora Krejcikova, Italian second seed Martina Trevisan and third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia were all ousted from the WTA event in Cleveland - the final US Open warmup tournament - on Wednesday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES, REUTERS