"It's becoming ridiculous now," Isner advocates for the return of the Russian flag on the tour
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. For over three years now, Ukraine has been at war with its neighbor. Since then, Ukrainian players on the WTA tour have made their stance clear, categorically refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian athletes at the end of matches.
This situation has sparked debate in the tennis world. Moreover, Russian and Belarusian players have been competing under a neutral flag for the past three years, and Wimbledon decided in 2022 to exclude these two nationalities from the tournament's draws.
Former American professional tennis player John Isner, who retired after the 2023 US Open, continues to follow tennis news closely and now co-hosts the *Nothing Major Podcast* with three other former American players: Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, and Sam Querrey.
On his official X (formerly Twitter) account, the 40-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 in 2018, questioned this situation and expressed hope that Russian athletes will soon be allowed to compete under their flag next to their names: "Can Russian players get their flag back? It's becoming ridiculous now," Isner simply wrote on the social media platform.
