(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Former two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova is asking what threat Russia’s Vera Zvonareva poses to Poland after the 38-year-old Russian was denied entry into the country for the Warsaw Open. On Friday, former world No 2 Zvonareva landed in Poland.
The following day, it was reported that Zvonareva was deported from the country because she was considered “undesirable” in the country.“I understood that Vera Zvonareva was not allowed to enter Poland, where she was supposed to participate in a WTA tournament.
It’s strange to read something like that, I don’t understand. What threat can an athlete pose to Poland?” former Russian tennis star Kuznetsova said.
Kuznetsova comes to Zvonareva’s defense
Zvonareva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, signed up to play at this year’s WTA 250 event in Warsaw.
But instead of being allowed to compete in the tournament, Zvonareva was told to return from where she came from. “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,” the Polish interior ministry said in a statement.After the news of Zvonareva being denied entry into Poland went viral, the WTA also released a statement.
In their statement, the WTA hinted they were planning to investigate what happened to Zvonareva in Poland. “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,” the WTA said in a statement.It remains to be seen if the Warsaw Open will face any sanctions for Zvonareva being denied entry into Poland.
