"What threat can an athlete represent for Poland?": Kuznetsova hits out at Zvonareva being denied entry to Poland

Former Russian tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova has lambasted Poland authorities for denying entry to Vera Zvonareva.

The 38-year-old was banned from entry into the country as she was on her way to take part in the Warsaw Open.

The authorities cited public safety as the primary reason for restricting Zvonareva in a statement.

"The Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland. Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get into our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw," said the ministry said as quoted by Reuters.

"After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Warsaw Chopin Airport and today after 1200 she flew to Podgorica."

The decision was taken likely because of the ongoing conflict between Russian and Ukraine, which started back in February 2022 and resulted in heavy loss of human lives on both sides.

Kuznetsova, while speaking about that, criticised the authorities for making such a move and questioned how an athlete can pose a risk to the safety of the people.

“Zvonareva was supposed to play in a tournament in Poland, but was refused entry by border guards when she arrived in the country,” she said. “It's strange to read that. What threat can an athlete represent for Poland?”

Zvonareva is a very renowned tennis player, having reached the final of two Grand Slams in her career. Both of those occasions came in 2010 but she ended up on the losing side.

She also became the world number two in 2010 after her heroics on the field and before that, won a bronze medal for Russia in the 2008 Olympics.