The people don't see the things behind it
At the 2026 Australian Open, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka moves through the draw with quiet dominance, yet her victories carry a weight that no scoreboard can measure. The war between Russia and Ukraine has followed athletes into the locker rooms and press conferences of Melbourne, where Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova has called for the disqualification of Belarusian and Russian competitors — a demand rooted not in rivalry but in the lived reality of conflict. Sport has long imagined itself a neutral ground, but this tournament reminds us that the court is never truly separate from the world beyond its lines.
- Sabalenka is winning every match without dropping a set, yet her presence at the tournament is itself the controversy — her 2020 signature supporting Lukashenko during violent crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters haunts her progress.
- Oliynykova, eliminated in the first round, is speaking with the urgency of someone who wakes to the sound of explosions while watching athletes from the aggressor nation compete freely on the world stage.
- The accusation extends beyond Sabalenka to Medvedev and others who participated in Gazprom-sponsored exhibitions — framed by Oliynykova as deliberate acts of contempt for fair play and solidarity.
- Tennis has refused the blanket bans imposed in other sports, leaving a contested middle ground that satisfies no one and has turned Melbourne into a stage for an argument the sport's governing bodies have not resolved.
- Sabalenka remains a favorite for a third Australian Open title, but the question of whether institutional pressure will force a reckoning before the final is as unresolved as the war that gave rise to it.
The 2026 Australian Open is being played on two courts simultaneously — one visible, one not. On the visible court, Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, has been imperious, advancing through the early rounds without surrendering a set. In one tense match against Anastasia Potapova, she was broken while serving for the match, then saved four set points to close out a 7-6 7-6 victory — the kind of composure that marks a champion.
But the other court is louder. Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova, knocked out in the first round by Madison Keys, has publicly demanded that Sabalenka and other Russian and Belarusian players be banned from tennis, as athletes from those nations have been in other sports. Her argument is not abstract. She described waking in terror from explosions at home while watching those same athletes compete freely on the world's biggest stages. 'I think it's very wrong that they are not disqualified in tennis like in other sports,' she told The Age. 'The people don't see the things behind it.'
The charge against Sabalenka is specific: in 2020, she signed a document supporting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a moment when pro-democracy protesters were being beaten in the streets. Oliynykova also pointed to Russian players, including Daniil Medvedev, who participated in exhibitions organised by Gazprom, the state-controlled energy company. 'This tournament was organised to spit in the face of fair play and unity,' she said.
Tennis has not followed other sports in imposing blanket bans, preferring a more cautious middle ground that has satisfied neither side of the argument. As the tournament moves into its second week, Sabalenka remains among the favourites to win a third Australian Open title — but the political storm around her shows no sign of passing.
The 2026 Australian Open is unfolding as a tournament of contrasts—brilliant tennis alongside simmering geopolitical tension. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, has moved through the early rounds without dropping a set, her dominance on court unquestioned. But her progress has been shadowed by calls for her disqualification, a demand that speaks to something far larger than sport.
Sabalenka, a 27-year-old Belarusian, has become the focal point of a controversy rooted in her country's political history. Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova, eliminated in the first round after losing to Madison Keys, has publicly argued that Sabalenka and other Russian and Belarusian competitors should be banned from tennis, just as athletes from those nations have been restricted in other sports. The accusation carries historical weight: Sabalenka signed a list in 2020 supporting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a period when pro-democracy protesters were being beaten in the streets.
Oliynykova's case is personal and urgent. She spoke to The Age with the weight of lived experience behind her words. "I think it's very wrong that they are not disqualified in tennis like in other sports," she said. "Because I know that here is the picture that we are, like all tennis girls playing, but the people don't see the things behind it." She pointed to what she sees as the use of wealth and influence to support aggression against her country—a reference not only to Sabalenka but to Russian players who have participated in exhibitions organized by Gazprom, the state-controlled energy company.
The controversy extends beyond Sabalenka alone. Oliynykova raised the participation of Daniil Medvedev and others in these exhibitions, framing them as deliberate provocations. "This tournament was organised, let's be frank, to spit in the face of fair play and unity, to show they don't care," she told Bounces podcast. Meanwhile, she described her own experience: waking in terror from explosions while watching athletes from the aggressor nation compete freely on the world's biggest stages.
Sabalenka herself has not directly addressed the disqualification calls during the tournament. She has focused on her tennis, advancing methodically through her matches. In one tense encounter against Anastasia Potapova, she was broken while serving for the match, then saved four set points to win 7-6(4) 7-6(7)—a display of composure under pressure that has defined her tournament so far.
The broader context matters. Tennis, unlike some other sports, has not imposed blanket bans on athletes from Russia or Belarus. The sport's governing bodies have taken a more measured approach, allowing individual players to compete under neutral status in some cases, while maintaining other restrictions. This middle ground has left space for exactly the kind of dispute now playing out in Melbourne.
As the tournament progresses into its second week, Sabalenka remains among the favorites to claim a third Australian Open title. The question of whether she will be allowed to finish that quest—or whether the pressure from players like Oliynykova will force a reckoning—remains unresolved. What is clear is that her success on court cannot be separated from the political storm gathering around her.
Citas Notables
I think it's very wrong that they are not disqualified in tennis like in other sports. Because I know that here is the picture that we are, like all tennis girls playing, but the people don't see the things behind it.— Oleksandra Oliynykova, Ukrainian player
This tournament was organised, let's be frank, to spit in the face of fair play and unity, to show they don't care.— Oleksandra Oliynykova, on Russian-organized exhibitions at the Australian Open
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a tennis tournament become a place where geopolitical conflict surfaces so visibly?
Because tennis is one of the few spaces where athletes from every nation still compete directly against each other, without the filters that exist in other sports. There's nowhere to hide.
But Sabalenka hasn't been banned. She's competing freely. So what exactly is Oliynykova asking for?
A formal disqualification—the same kind of restriction that has been applied to Russian and Belarusian athletes in other sports. She's saying the inconsistency is itself a form of injustice.
Is there a factual basis for the claim about Sabalenka signing a list supporting Lukashenko?
Yes. In 2020, during the protests in Belarus, Sabalenka did sign a statement supporting Lukashenko. That's documented. The question is what it means now, years later, and whether it should determine her eligibility to compete.
How does Sabalenka herself respond to this?
She hasn't directly addressed it during the tournament. She's been focused on playing. Whether that's strategy or avoidance is hard to say.
What happens if the pressure builds? Could she actually be disqualified mid-tournament?
Unlikely, but the controversy won't disappear. It will follow her through every match, every interview, every moment she's on court.
So this is really about whether sport can exist separately from politics.
Exactly. And the answer, increasingly, is that it can't. Not when the athletes themselves carry the weight of their nations' actions.