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A Russian tennis star has caused controversy on social media after liking several anti-American videos ahead of playing at this week’s US Open. Russian athletes are required to stay neutral in order to play on the WTA Tour, with many players from the country having refused to publicly support the war in Ukraine.
Calls for Russian players to be banned have been loudly repeated in Ukrainian circles and Tatiana Prozorova has fuelled the debate after her social media activity was highlighted on Sunday evening. The 19-year-old is set to compete at the US Open but the content of her liked videos is hard to misjudge, with many posts raising questions over her impartiality.
A Ukrainian tennis platform on X compiled some of the videos, the first of which shows Vladimir Putin changing the American flag to a Russian one while making faces. Another video carries a patriotic montage of the Russian armed forces before their US equivalents are mocked for their identity and gender or orientation.
Several of the videos liked by Prozorova appear to glorify Putin while being critical of the US despite her being set to compete in the final Grand Slam of the year in New York. She will begin her campaign against Caroline Wozniacki after making it through three qualifying rounds at Flushing Meadows last week.
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It comes after fellow Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva was called out for her social media activity by Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska, who urged authorities to hand down sanctions for liking posts which could be interpreted as supporting the Russian war effort.
Yastremska made the allegations on her Instagram story as she wrote: “I wanted to post about a recent situation in Switzerland which I find hardly acceptable. The tennis instances are unfortunately remaining indifferent to the atrocities committed in Ukraine.
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“Recently, I asked that sanctions be taken against Mirra Andreeva for having liked social media posts which clearly concerned the atrocities committed to Ukrainians and the WTA simply indicated it would not intervene. l am upset but remain committed to fight for my country, my family and my friends in Ukraine.”
Prozorova, meanwhile, has never competed at a Grand Slam event before and will be hoping to avoid a first-round exit at the US Open against Wozniacki. The latter will be the overwhelming favourite to win, though, after coming out of retirement earlier this year to resume her career at the highest level.
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