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Elena Rybakina will seek her second Grand Slam triumph this weekend

Elena Rybakina will attempt to add a second Grand Slam title to her trophy cabinet on Saturday when she plays Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s Australian Open final. The Moscow-born ace blitzed past Victoria Azarenka in straight sets on Thursday.

Rybakina, 23, who has represented Kazakhstan on the international stage for several years, has been in impressive form Down Under and has dropped just a single set en route to the final, in part due to an impressive power game which has seen her score 44 aces – the most of any player in the tournament.

Belarus’ Azarenka, though, did muster a measure of resistance in the opening set, forcing Rybakina to stare down the barrel of a 0-40 deficit with the set tied at 5-5 before she rallied to win a tiebreaker.

There were no such fears in the second set as she powered to a 6-3 win to take the match – and another opportunity to create history – in straight sets.

A brilliant performance 👏

Elena Rybakina is heading to the #AO2023 women's singles final!@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/w7vEytvVdX

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2023

“I was focusing on myself because conditions were completely different,” said Rybakina of the match, which took place on a balmy Melbourne evening.

“I couldn’t get free points on my serve that easy like during the day when I played the matches. I knew that I need just to adjust. I was doing correct things. It was just a matter to be more focused on these important moments.”

"I'm super happy and proud." 💙

You should be, Elena!#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/hK4zci6TA4

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2023

Rarely one to display too many emotions on the court, Rybakina admitted afterwards that she is relishing the opportunity to compete in a Grand Slam final with members of her family looking on in the Rod Laver Arena. Her parents were absent from her Wimbledon win last summer.

“It’s the first time they’re all together here,” she said. “I’m super happy that we can spend evenings together and they can watch me live.”

Despite her dominance so far in the tournament, Rybakina will be a significant underdog when she takes on the fifth-ranked Sabalenka in the final after the Belarusian beat Magda Linette in straight sets in the other semifinal.

And Sabalenka says she is fully aware of the scale of the task awaiting her in what is her maiden appearance in a Grand Slam final.

“She’s an amazing player,” Sabalenka said of her upcoming opponent.

“She’s playing great tennis, super aggressive and she already got one Grand Slam so she has kind of had this experience playing the final. It’s going to be great. I’m really looking forward to this final.”

The IOC has revealed strict criteria for the reintegration of Russian athletes in Olympic competition

Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin and Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov have criticized the terms outlined for the country’s reintegration to Olympic competition.

Their comments came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a framework which could see athletes from Russia and Belarus take part in Asian Olympic qualification events.

The IOC announced on Wednesday that methods to end Russia’s Olympic isolation should be “further explored” and it welcomed an offer from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to permit both Russia and Belarus to compete at the Asian Games later this year.

It added that “governments must not decide which athletes can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot” in its statement.

This came just hours after Ukraine leader Vladimir Zelensky detailed a telephone call he held with French President Emmanuel Macron in which he “emphasized that athletes from Russia should have no place at the Olympic Games in Paris.”

However, the criteria set out by the IOC, which includes “strict conditions” as it relates to political neutrality and a continuation on the ban of national symbols such as flags and anthems, has been criticized by several leading figures in Russia, including Matytsin. He said banning the display of Russian and Belarusian national symbols is contrary to the Olympic Charter.

“The IOC, in its decision, speaks about the possibility of admitting athletes, demonstrating the political flexibility of its position,” he added.

“At the same time, we consider it unacceptable to determine special conditions for athletes to participate that are inconsistent with the Olympic Charter, the principles of equality and fairness.”

Pozdnyakov was also critical of the requirements outlined by the IOC, and said the ROC would seek a legal review of the IOC statement.

“I perceive the information from the IOC as an attempt to take a step towards the athletes,” he said.

“But at the same time, unfortunately, it is also two steps in the opposite direction.

“In fact, today’s statement is an attempt to correct a mistake that has already resulted in groundless restrictions for Russian and Belarusian sports for almost a year and has caused great damage to all international sports.

“The voice of common sense was heard.

“However, at the same time, we still categorically disagree with any restrictions, additional requirements and sanctions that relate to the nationality of our athletes and are again offered to us as a condition for returning to the international arena.”

President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, was another who outlined objections to the neutrality requirements put forth by the IOC.

“Even in the wording of the initiative there is too much politics, which should be alien to the ideas of the Olympic family,” Peskov said.

The next Olympic Games begin in Paris in July 2024 – the first time the French capital has held the event in a century. Various qualification events have already begun for the event which will feature 32 sports with around 10,000 international athletes attempting to qualify.

The IOC has said a pathway is being explored for Russians to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been invited to compete at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this year despite both countries’ ongoing isolation from several major international sporting events, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday that a pathway is being “further explored” which could establish a framework for the return of Russian and Belarusian competitors to Olympic competition, provided that certain criteria are met.

These include strict adherence to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, while athletes who profess vocal support for the military operation in Ukraine would also be disqualified.

The IOC also indicated in its Wednesday statement that it welcomed an offer from the Olympic Council of Asia to invite Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in its Olympic qualification events.

“The OCA joins the Olympic movement in its support of the IOC Executive Board’s statement on solidarity with Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and the status of athletes from these countries,” the OCA said on Thursday in response to the IOC statement.

“The OCA believes in the unifying power of sport and that all athletes, regardless of their nationality or the passport they hold, should be able to compete in sports competitions. The OCA has offered to give eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to take part in competitions in Asia, including the Asian Games. 

“The OCA remains on standby as the IOC continues to explore with International Federations the pathway for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions.”

The invitation comes in spite of Ukrainian requests to prohibit the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from Olympic competition. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said earlier this week in a telephone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russians have “no place” at the Paris Olympics next year.

Russia, as well as Belarus, has been largely absent from international sports over the past eleven months following sanctions imposed by the IOC which were subsequently adhered to by several other global sporting federations.

However, more recently IOC President Thomas Bach said that, while he believes sanctions should continue against the governments of Russia and Belarus, the Olympic Charter dictates that it should “respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without discrimination.”

The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.

The Russian city had been due to host the annual UEFA Super Cup match

Athens will replace Kazan as the host city of the 2023 UEFA Super Cup, it was decided on Wednesday during an executive committee meeting of European football’s governing body.

The Russian city had been due to hold the annual showpiece fixture between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League on August 16 this year but UEFA has opted to switch venues as part of ongoing sanctions against the country which have been in place since shortly after the onset of military action in Ukraine.

Last year, Russia had its hosting rights for the 2022 UEFA Champions League final removed for similar reasons. The game was originally scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg but was relocated to Paris’ Stade de France following an emergency meeting of UEFA’s executive committee.

Real Madrid ultimately defeated Liverpool in the final.

The UEFA Super Cup will now take place at the home of Greek side Olympiacos, the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens.

Russian teams have been banned from competing in UEFA and FIFA competitions since last February following a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who have also advised against Russia being permitted to host international sporting events.

UEFA, meanwhile, has also announced an expansion of its Nations League competition which will see a quarterfinal stage introduced for League A group winners and runners-up which will be played over two legs in March, before the final four meet the following May.

“The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a success story, replacing friendly games with more competitive matches,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

“And now, by introducing the new knock-out phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the International Match Calendar.

“The new format promises to bring more excitement to Europe’s national team football competitions that continue to grow from strength to strength.”

The International Olympic Committee says it is exploring options for Russia’s return to international competitions

Athletes from Russia and Belarus could participate in Olympic qualification events in Asia, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) examines options for the return of both countries to international sporting events, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The sports elite from Russia and Belarus have been restricted from competing in various events over the last eleven months after the IOC announced the introduction of sanctions soon after the onset of Russia’s military action in Ukraine last year.

More recently, IOC president Thomas Bach has stated that while he believes that sanctions should continue against the governments of Russia and Belarus, he hoped to explore ways for athletes from the two affected countries to continue to compete in the international field, provided that they satisfy certain criteria.

In a media release on Wednesday, the IOC said that it “welcomed and appreciated the offer from the Olympic Council of Asia to give [Russian and Belarusian] athletes access to Asian competitions.”

This could potentially clear a pathway for athletes from these countries to qualify for the next Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. Many athletes are currently unable to compete in European Olympic qualifying events due to the wave of sanctions introduced by the IOC last year.

Statement on solidarity with Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and the status of athletes from these countries👇 https://t.co/OGk1HqoN1N

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) January 25, 2023

The IOC has stated that it believes that Russians and Belarusians should be permitted to compete in Paris under a neutral Olympic flag; however, questions remain as to how competitors from both countries could qualify.

It added: “No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport” and that “a pathway for athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions should therefore be further explored.”

The “strict conditions” announced by the IOC include a requirement to “fully respect the Olympic Charter,” which it defines as ruling out any athlete who professes support for the military operation in Ukraine.

Furthermore, athletes must be fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.

Among the factors discussed by the IOC ahead of the release of the statement was a communication from Special Rapporteurs in the fields of ‘cultural rights’ and on “contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance of the United Nations Human Rights Council.“

“We express serious concern, however, about the recommendation to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials such as judges from international competitions, based solely on their nationality, as a matter of principle. This raises serious issues of non-discrimination,” the letter from the Special Rapporteurs said.

In a message on Telegram this week, Ukraine president Vladimir Zelensky said that he spoke to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and told him that he believed the Russian athletes should have “no place” at the Paris Olympics.

Various qualifying events for Paris 2024 have already begun, with more than 10,000 athletes from numerous countries attempting to secure entry to the event, which will feature a total of 32 sports.

Displaying the country’s tricolor has been banned at the Grand Slam tennis event

Four people were detained and questioned by authorities after a Russian flag bearing the image of President Vladimir Putin was displayed at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament following a match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Russia’s Andrey Rublev.

A group of people congregated outside the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne after Djokovic’s comprehensive three-set win, with chants of “Serbia, Russia” heard from the group, while a man wearing a ‘Z’ symbol on his T-shirt was also seen to be displaying the Russian flag.

Another man was spotted wearing a ‘Z’ shirt inside the arena during the match.

It comes after the organizers of the event, Tennis Australia, introduced a ban on the display of Russian and Belarusian flags shortly after the beginning of the tournament, when a fan displayed the Russian tricolor during a match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russian player Kamilla Rakhimova.

Russian and Belarusian players are free to compete at the tournament but without mention of their nationalities or other national symbols.

‼️🇷🇸🇷🇺 #Serbian fans brought the flag of #Russia with a photo of Vladimir #Putin and the flag of the DPR to the central stadium of the Australian Open. pic.twitter.com/rfXZevsXsI

— Maimunka News (@MaimunkaNews) January 25, 2023

“Four people in the crowd leaving the stadium revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards,” Tennis Australia said in a statement.

“Victoria Police intervened and are continuing to question them. The comfort and safety of everyone is our priority and we work closely with security and authorities.”

The incident comes several days after Russia’s Andrey Rublev complained to the chair umpire during his second-round match with Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori that supporters were verbally abusing him during the match, and draping a Ukrainian flag over advertising hoardings.

“It was not about the flag,” Rublev said afterwards. “I said straightaway to the referee, it’s not about the flag, they can put any flag they want, I understand completely the situation.

“It was more that they started to tell me bad words and bad things.”

One Russian player, Karen Khachanov, remains on the men’s side of the draw and will play Stefanos Tsitsipas in Friday’s semifinal, while two Belarusian female players, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka, are on course to meet in the Australian Open final provided they both win their semifinal matchups on Thursday.

Russian players were banned from the English Grand Slam event last year

A ban on Russian players playing at Wimbledon will be reversed this year, Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) president Shamil Tarpishchev predicts.

In 2022, the organizers of the annual grass court Grand Slam event, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), announced a blanket ban on players from both Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.

This meant that highly ranked players such as the Russian duo of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, as well as the Belarusian female player Aryna Sabalenka, were prohibited from competing at the event.

The ban came in contrast to measures imposed by other events, such as the US Open which permitted Russian participants so long as they competed under a neutral flag.

As a result of the Wimbledon ban, the governing bodies of male and female tennis, the ATP and WTA as well as the International Tennis Federation, withdrew ranking points from the event, prompting significant disruption to the rankings system and effectively rendering the event an exhibition tournament.

But according to Tarpishchev, no such restrictions will be imposed this year.

“We will participate,” he said via RIA Novosti.

“There is no doubt. The position of the ITF is that athletes are selected purely by rating, and not by nationality in relation to all tournaments in different countries of the world. 

“Everything else will be a violation by the organizers and no one else.”

Despite the ban, last year’s women’s singles category at Wimbledon was won by the Moscow-born Elena Rybakina, who has represented Kazakhstan on the international stage since she was 19.

The Serbian ace remains on course for a tenth title Down Under

Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title remains on course after the Serbian star turned in a devastating performance to defeat Russia’s Andrey Rublev in their Australian Open quarterfinal clash on Wednesday.

Nine-time champion Djokovic, who was controversially deported from Australia ahead of last year’s tournament, remains on course for yet another title after recording his 26th consecutive win in Melbourne, blitzing the Russian challenger in just over two hours of action (6-1, 6-2, 6-4).

The Serb showed no sign of the hamstring issue which he has been battling throughout the tournament as he dominated on his own serve throughout the match, and fired back a series of excellently-timed return shots on several Rublev service games.

Rublev, who overcame an intense five-round battle with Denmark’s Holger Rune on Monday, couldn’t find any semblance of a foothold early as Djokovic swept through the first and second sets, losing just three games along the way.

Making the hard courts look easy 💪@DjokerNole is into his 10th #AusOpen semifinal!@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/bLy6VAxKZG

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2023

The Russian showed a measure of resistance in the third but was ultimately powerless to stop a rampaging Djokovic, who fired 14 aces and 32 winners past him.

Djokovic also held his nerve throughout rare instances of a Rublev fightback, saving every one of the five break points he faced in the match.

Special moments at Rod Laver Arena 💙@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/vTMzxjMAWK

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2023

“It was very close to the performance of two nights ago [the fourth round],” said Djokovic afterwards. “I cannot be happier with my tennis.

“I’ve been playing very solid from the back of the court, love playing in these conditions and this court.”

For Rublev, it is the seventh time he has been defeated in a Grand Slam quarterfinal and continues his unfortunate sequence of losing every Grand Slam quarterfinal he has ever played in – just the second player in the Open Era to do so. 

2 – Andrey Rublev became the second male player in the Open Era to lose all his first seven Grand Slam quarterfinals, after Tommy Robredo. Hurdle.@atptour @ATPMediaInfo | #AustralianOpen #AusOpen2023 #AusOpen

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 25, 2023

Djokovic, meanwhile, was again targeted by sporadic heckling during the match, prompting him to complain to the chair umpire in the first set – though this only served to briefly delay the inevitable.

If he maintains his impressive form in Australia all the way to Sunday’s final, Djokovic will go level with rival Rafael Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam winners’ list.

To do so, he will have to bypass Tommy Paul in Friday’s seminal after the American triumphed over Ben Shelton in four sets earlier on Wednesday.

The winner of that clash will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Karen Khachanov in the final.

Athletes from the country may be permitted to compete as neutrals at Paris 2024

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has called on his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

There have been significant restrictions imposed upon Russian sports since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued sanctions last year shortly after the onset of the military operation in Ukraine.

However, the IOC has appeared to be considering a return to the international sporting fold of athletes from both countries in Asia-based qualification events for Paris 2024, provided that they compete as neutrals and without national symbols such as flags and anthems.

Zelensky held discussions with IOC president Thomas Bach in December in which he said he was “upset” at the potential Olympic inclusions of Russian and Belarusian athletes – and he echoed this stance in a discussion with the French leader.

“I particularly emphasized that athletes from Russia should have no place at the Olympic Games in Paris,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Both Bach and Macron have stated recently that a path needs to be found which respects an athlete’s right to compete regardless of the political stances of their government, with Bach saying last month that “we need to explore ways to overcome this dilemma with regard to athletes’ participation and come back to the sporting merits, and not to political interference.”

Macron also noted that “sport should not be politicized” and that “athletes from all countries, sometimes including countries at war” should be included in global events such as the Olympic Games.

Bach, though, has insisted that the current sanctions against Russia and Belarus must remain in place for the time being but that certain restrictions, such as a ban on the display of Russian or Belarusian flags must “remain firmly in place.”

He added: “The question of the participation of athletes is very different from the question of sanctions for their government.”

Paris will host the Olympic Games for the first time since 1924 next summer between July 26 and August 11, with the Paralympics starting on August 28.