Australian tennis star Daria Saville, née Gavrilova, who was born in Moscow, says she cannot return to her hometown following her comments about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Key points:
- Saville, formerly Gavrilova, became an Australian citizen in 2015.
- She has not yet decided whether she will play at Wimbledon, which has banned Russian players.
- Her husband Luke said she was worried about her parents who remain in Moscow.
Saville made the comments as she detailed her conflicting personal emotions over the banning of Russian players from Wimbledon.
The All England Club has banned Russian and Belarusian players from the 2022 event, fearing their success could be used by the Russian regime as propaganda for war.
Saville also explained that she had not yet decided for herself whether she would compete at Wimbledon due to the tennis tour’s governing bodies, the ATP and WTA, removing points from Wimbledon in response to the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Saville has been vocal in her protest against her native country’s invasion of Ukraine, including posting a message on Instagram in Russian in which she said: “Silence in the current situation is tantamount to complicity. Putin, stop the war. Army, go home!”
She also wore blue and yellow, the colours of Ukraine, at the Paris Open until March.
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Her husband, Luke Saville, an Australian doubles specialist and 2011 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion, also spoke of his wife Daria’s concerns about her parents, who are still in Moscow.
Speaking at Roland Garros where she qualified for the second round against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra KvitovaShe reiterated once again her support for her Ukrainian colleagues.
But when asked if she had any sympathy for the Russians banned from the world’s biggest tournament, she appeared pained, replying: “Yes and no… it’s yes, it’s hard, it’s hard for me to comment too.
“I can’t really go back to Russia, no.
“I fully support Ukrainian players… imagine not having a home.”
Saville was also conflicted over whether the All England Club had made the right decision in banning him.
“It’s a grey area because I have too many friends in Russia,” said Saville, who became an Australian citizen in 2015.
As for her own participation at Wimbledon, Saville was also in a quandary after the WTA Tour’s decision not to award ranking points for the tournament.
“It’s a bit complicated with the points. I have to decide if it’s worth playing the qualifications (for Wimbledon) or if I play the week before. I’m still thinking about it.
“The prize money at Wimbledon is good, that’s why I would like to qualify, but I will make that decision later.
“Wimbledon will remain Wimbledon. Some players say it’s an exhibition, but I don’t think it will ever be an exhibition.
“Whoever wins Wimbledon will always be a Wimbledon champion.
“It’s complicated but I’ll have to make some decisions. Of course, most people would have preferred to play with points and I feel a little bad for the Ukrainian girls and boys because we read the Russian news and…”
His voice then trailed off and his distress at what was happening in Ukraine was summed up in one final poignant observation.
“There are worse things that can happen than not playing at Wimbledon,” she said.
Big names divided
The Wimbledon points issue has divided some of the biggest names in tennis.
“I would say this decision kind of affects my mentality going into the grass-court tournament. I’m not 100 percent sure I’m going,” Osaka, a four-time major winner, told a news conference.
“I would love to go there just to get some experience on grass, but at the same time, for me, it’s kind of, I don’t want to say it’s useless, no pun intended, but I’m the type of player who is motivated by… seeing my ranking go up.”
Naomi Osaka said she is “the type of player who is motivated by… seeing her ranking go up.” (Getty: Robert Prange)
Men wWorld number one Novak Djokovic plans to defend his Wimbledon titleeven though he loses the 2,000 ranking points he earned last year. The Serb lost another 2,000 points when he was unable to compete in this year’s Australian Open due to his non-vaccination status.
The lack of ranking points could result in Djokovic losing the top spot to Russian Daniil Medvedev.
“It’s a very unique and strange situation,” Djokovic said after his first-round win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka at Roland Garros.
“A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, Wimbledon was always my dream tournament when I was a child.
“I don’t look at it through the prism of points or prize money, for me it’s something else.”
Novak Djokovic has won Wimbledon six times, most recently last year. (Reuters)
Rafael Nadal and Djokovic have criticised Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I think it’s very unfair to my Russian tennis partners, my colleagues… it’s not their fault, what’s happening right now with the war,” said Nadal, a 21-time Grand Slam winner.
Novak Djokovic has compared the situation of the excluded players to the one he experienced in January, when he was unable to participate in the Australian Open. He was expelled from Australia because he had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
“It’s not the same, but after going through something similar earlier this year, it’s frustrating to know you’re not able to play,” Djokovic said.
Among the prominent players affected by the ban are reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, while Belarusian stars Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka would also be unable to play.
ABC/AAP
