Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians Play In Indian Wells Open

INDIAN WELLS, CA — Most of the world's best professional tennis players arrived this week in Riverside County's Coachella Valley for the annual BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and some of the very best will compete "countryless" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

That includes the No. 1 men's singles player in the world, Daniil Medvedev, who is Russian.

The two-week BNP Paribas Open tournament begins Monday. Most of the more than 200 competitors from around the globe have already arrived in the desert — or are en route.

Russian and Belorussian players were being allowed to compete in the prestigious tournament, but neither their countries nor their flags will be shown on scoreboards or anywhere else following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Belarus worked with Russia as a staging area for the invasion.

The international governing bodies of tennis issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international events "on Tour and at the Grand Slams," but they "will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice."

The statement said, in part: "A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the past week. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we commend the many tennis players who have spoken out and taken action against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their calls for the violence to end and peace to return."

Matt Van Tuinen, a spokesman for the BNP Paribas Open, confirmed Thursday that protocols set forth by the sport's governing bodies will be followed during the Indian Wells tournament.

Among the many professional tennis players who have called for peace are Russia's two top male singles players: Medvedev and world No. 6 Andrey Rublev, who will both compete in the desert next week.

After a Feb. 25 win in Dubai, Rublev wrote, "No war please," on a television camera lens that was capturing the action. Signing the lens is traditional for winning players after tennis matches. The hard-hitting Rublev went on to take the next day's final match in straight sets.

During a news conference a day earlier, 24-year-old Rublev said, "In these moments, you realize that my match is not important. It's not about my match, how it affects me. Because what's happening is much more terrible. You realize how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what and to be united. ... We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."

Medvedev, 26, said he, too, stood for peace at a Feb. 24 news conference at the Mexican Open in Acapulco.

"In this moment, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important," he said. "By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries. I've been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It's just not easy to hear all this news."

On the women's side, former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus issued a statement calling for peace. She will also be in Indian Wells.

"I am devastated by the actions that have taken place over the last several days," the 32-year-old player said. "It's heartbreaking to see how many innocent people have been affected and continue to be affected by such violence."

Ukraine's top singles player, Elina Svitolina, has shown grit amid the crisis. She is competing at the Monterrey Open in Mexico this week and said she will donate her prize money from the tournament to the Ukrainian army.

Wearing her country's blue and gold colors, the world No. 15 placed her hand over her heart in victory after defeating Russia's Anastasia Potapova, 6-2, 6-1, in Tuesday's second-round match. Afterward, the 27-year-old Ukrainian said, "I was on a mission for my country."

Svitolina is scheduled to play in the main draw at Indian Wells.

Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky, 36, will be far away from tennis next week. He made the gut-wrenching decision to leave his wife and their three young children in Hungary to return to his homeland to fight against Russian troops. He's now a member of the army reservists helping defend the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to a CNN report.

Stakhovsky, who retired from professional tennis in January, told CNN, "If I would stay home, I'd feel guilt that I didn't come back [to Ukraine], and now I'm here, I feel guilty that I left them at home."

Stakhovsky was ranked as high as 31 in the world during his long professional tennis career.

Four male Russian singles players — Medvedev, Rublev, Aslan Karatsev and Karen Khachanov — and one male Belorussian singles player, Ilya Ivashka, will compete next week, according to the BNP Paribas Open singles main draw.

On the women's side, six Russian singles players will take to the courts — Ekaterina Alexandrova, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, Anastasia Potapova, Liudmila Samsonova and Vera Zvonareva. From Belarus, Azarenka and world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka will compete, as will Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Ukraine will not be represented in the singles main draw on the men's side. But Svitolina, along with Anhelina Kalinina and Marta Kostyuk, will play singles for their country.

Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, 21, who has been ranked as high as world No. 21 in singles, is not in the Indian Wells main draw. Last week, she fled her war-torn country with her 15-year-old sister, according to several published reports. She is playing in Lyon, France, this week, where she has advanced to the semifinals that take place Saturday.

The focus amid the invasion has been on contacting current and former players and other members of the tennis community from Ukraine and neighboring countries to check on their safety and offer any assistance, according to the sport's governing bodies.