Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova has been formally warned by the Women's Tennis Association for wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt before a match at the Indian Wells Masters ©Instagram

Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev has expressed his surprise at the decision of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to issue a warning to Russian player Anastasia Potapova for wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt during a recent match.

Potapova wore the shirt during her three-set loss to American Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells in California.

She said she had supported the club since she was 13 and saw no provocation in it.

Poland’s world number one Iga Świątek said she felt Potapova had crossed a line and subsequently spoke with the WTA, which later announced: "Regarding the Russian soccer team shirt, the WTA has formally warned the player that this was not acceptable nor an appropriate action.

"We do not expect to see any reoccurrence of this in the future."

Anastasia Potapova claimed she had supported Spartak Moscow since she was 13 and saw nothing wrong with wearing one of her club's football shirts at the Indian Wells Masters in California ©Instagram
Anastasia Potapova claimed she had supported Spartak Moscow since she was 13 and saw nothing wrong with wearing one of her club's football shirts at the Indian Wells Masters in California ©Instagram

But Tarpishchev, a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1994, told Russia's official state news agency TASS: "This is not a coat of arms, not a flag, but a football club.

"I haven’t heard that you can’t go out [in a club jersey].

"But if you don’t like the WTA, let them put on a different jersey next time.

"It’s okay."

TASS pointed out that in January 2023, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka entered the quarter-final match of the Australian Open against Pegula in the T-shirt of the French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Russian Tennis Federation President and IOC member Shamil Tarpischev criticised the decision to warn ©Getty Images
Russian Tennis Federation President and IOC member Shamil Tarpischev criticised the decision to warn  ©Getty Images

Earlier this week, Ukrainian tennis player Lesla Tsurenko disclosed that she withdrew from her match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at Indian Wells because of a "panic attack". 

It followed a conversation with WTA chief executive Steve SImon which prompted her to accuse the organisation of doing little to support Ukrainian players.

Tsurenko had been seen practising her serve on an outside court a few hours before her second round match with Sabalenka, but Indian Wells organisers would only say that she had scratched for "personal reasons."

Ukraine's number three player later revealed that her withdrawal came after a conversation with Simon.

"I was absolutely shocked by what I heard, I just broke down mentally," the 33-year-old Tsurenko told the Great Tennis Ukraine website following her decision to pull out of the top-ranked WTA 1000 event in California.

“He told me that he himself does not support the war, but if the players from Russia and Belarus support it, then this is only their own opinion, and the opinion of other people should not upset me."