Poland has denied entry to Russian former world number two Vera Zvonareva, after the former Wimbledon runner-up tried to enter the country to play in the Polish Open WTA tournament.
Zvonareva, a former world No.2, was deported due to the risk she posed to state security and public safety, Poland's interior ministry said on Saturday night.
"Vera Zvonareva was trying to enter our country with a visa granted by France, via a flight from Belgrade," the statement read.
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"On July 21, Polish border guards made it impossible for the Russian tennis player to enter Poland.
"Poland steadfastly opposes the regime of (Russian and Belarusian Presidents Vladimir) Putin and (Alexander) Lukashenko, not allowing people who support Russian and Belarusian actions to enter our country."
The 38-year-old is on the list of "undesirable" people in Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ministry said.
The WTA released a statement, saying Zvonareva was on the list of players competing in the event, which begins on Monday.
"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."
While Zvonareva was sent packing, Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, made it safely into the country based on her social media posts.
However, Russian player, Anastasia Potapova, who was warned by the WTA earlier this year after wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt on court, revealed she could not take part in the Hamburg European Open because she was not issued a visa on time.
"Very sad to announce that I'm not going to participate in Hamburg this year, due to difficulties with visa," she said on Instagram. "Me and my team applied for it on time, but unfortunately it was delayed."
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