Poland has been blocking people who are known for their support of Russia and Belarus’ invasion of Ukraine from entering.
At the Miami Open in 2022, the Russian player had ‘No War’ written on her visor.
Despite that, Poland’s interior ministry had her listed as one of the ‘undesirable’ people in the country.
The statement from the Polish interior ministry said:
“The Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland.”
“Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get into our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw.”
“After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Warsaw Chopin Airport and today, after 12:00, she flew to Podgorica (Montenegro).”
The organizers of the Warsaw Open have yet to comment on the incident. But the WTA has made a statement saying: “The WTA is aware of the situation involving Vera Zvonareva in Warsaw.”
“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.”