Vera Zvonareva, a Russian tennis player and former world no.2, was denied entry to Poland on Friday due to concerns for public safety and state security, according to a statement from the Polish interior ministry on Saturday. The 38-year-old, who won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, was listed among the competitors in the BNP Paribas Warsaw Open competition, which gets underway on Monday.
The Polish authorities released the following statement:
“Vera Zvonareva was trying to enter our country with a visa granted by France, via a flight from Belgrade. On July 21, Polish border guards made it impossible for the Russian tennis player to enter Poland.”
The WTA released the following statement:
“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.”
It’s worth noticing that Vera Zvonareva is against the war, as shown in the following picture.
Vera Zvonareva was denied entry into Poland at the airport in Warsaw.
She was trying to enter the country on a French visa.
She was supposed to play a tournament in Warsaw, but the Polish ministry said she’s on a list considered undesirable on the territory of Poland. pic.twitter.com/Aa6XrPorbX
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 22, 2023
Vera Zvonareva in 2023
Ranked no.655, the Russian played her last match on the 28th of June when she was overcome by world no.172 Darja Semenistaja 6-4 6-1 in the qualifications in Wimbledon (draw).
This season Vera has a compiled 3-7 record.
