Russian Vera Zvonareva denied entry in Poland ahead of Warsaw Open

On Friday, Russian tennis veteran Vera Zvonareva was denied entry into Poland by the Border Guard for 'reasons of state security and public safety'. The former World No.2 was set to compete in the 2023 Poland Open, starting from Monday.

As reported by Michal Pochopien, a journalist at TVP Sport, Zvonareva will not play in the tournament in Warsaw. Upon her arrival from Serbia, the Russian was sent back to Podgorica after being held back in the transit zone of Chopin Airport in Warsaw.

"Vera Zvonareva will not play in the tournament [Warsaw Open] — the Russian tennis player unloaded in Warsaw on July 21 and was sent back to Podgorica after staying in the transit zone," Pochopien tweeted.

As per the statement of Poland's Ministry of the Interior, Zvonareva tried to enter Poland using a visa issued by France. It was also stated that in a stand against the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko, Poland has refused entry to people who support the actions of Russia and Belarus.

The Russian tennis player is considered to be on a list of persons who are not welcome to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

The Woman's Tennis Association (WTA) took to social media to address the situation regarding Zvonareva's entry into Poland. It stated that the safety and well-being of all players is of top priority and that the WTA will further evaluate the issue.

"The safety and well-being of all players is of top priority of the WTA. Vera has departed Poland and we will be evaluating the issue further with the event," tweeted the WTA.

Vera Zvonareva's return from foot injury was marked by five consecutive losses

Vera Zvonareva at the Wimbledon Championships.

Currently ranked World No. 655 in the women's singles category, Vera Zvonareva returned from a foot injury at the Abu Dhabi Open in February this year. She had been sidelined since March 2022.

The 38-year-old was winless in her opening five games of the season, before beating World No. 177 Nigina Abduraimova with a scoreline of 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 at the 2023 German Open.

Zvonareva went on to win successive games, defeating Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, before losing to World No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka with the scoreboard reading 6-3, 6-2.

The Russian most recently featured at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships where she bowed out in the second round, losing to World No. 172 Darja Semenistaja 6-2, 6-1. Following Zvonareva being denied entry into Poland, her record for the 2023 season has stalled at 3-7.