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Russian tennis player prohibited from wearing sponsor’s logo at 2023 French Open

Veronika Kudermetova is playing under a neutral status at the tournament

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Russian tennis player Veronika Kudermetova has been prohibited from playing at the 2023 French Open while wearing a uniform sporting the logo of her sponsor, the Tatneft oil company, sport.pl announced on Thursday citing the organizers of the Grand Slam tournament in France.

Russian oil company Tatneft has collaborated with Kudermetova as her sponsor since 2021 and she has worn the company's official logo while playing ever since then.

"This is due to the current regulations in France," the Polish-based website quoted tournament officials as saying. "Any advertising or labeling in violation of government or television rules is prohibited."

"Tatneft is on the list and displaying the company’s logo at Roland Garros is not allowed," the organizers added.

One of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the 2023 French Open is taking place in the French capital of Paris between May 28 and June 11. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts and offers 49.6 million euro (almost $53.2 million) in prize money.

Kudermetova is playing under a neutral status at the tournament. She lost her opening round singles match to Slovakia’s Anna Karol·na Schmiedlova 3-6; 1-6.

However, the Russian, who is currently ranked No. 11 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), is not finished at the 2023 French Open, as she will play in women’s doubles with her compatriot Lyudmila Samsonova.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

In line with international tennis regulations, Russian tennis players are participating in the tournament under a neutral status.

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only under a neutral status.

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