- Azarenka was part of Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition line-up
- Ukrainian players unhappy with a Belarusian being involved
Victoria Azarenka, the Belarusian former world No 1, has pulled out of the Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition aimed at raising humanitarian aid for Ukraine because of the sensitivities of the Ukrainian players, the United States Tennis Association said on Wednesday.
With the US Open set to begin on Monday, the tournament-long initiative was to launch on Wednesday – Ukraine Independence Day – with the exhibition event at the Louis Armstrong Stadium including women’s world No 1 Iga Swiatek, Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe and others.