Anastasia Potapova sparked controversy in her third-round match with Jessica Pegula in Indian Wells after appearing in a Spartak Moscow shirt, with Iga Svyatek chastising her for an uninspiring choice.

Anastasia PotapovaPhoto: Maksym Konstantinov/SOPA Image / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Potapova motivated her presence in the form of Moscow “Spartacus”.

Against the backdrop of the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine, Potapova’s gesture was criticized by a world leader, and a week later the Russian came with an answer.

“There was no political intention. I have been a fan of Spartak Moscow since I was 10 years old. My dad built part of that team’s stadium, so it’s part of our family. I was very surprised by what Svyatek said, because there were no bad intentions on my part,” Potapova told Welovetennis.fr.

Another incident occurred in the second round of the WTA in Miami, when Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Russian Anastasia Potapova at the end of the match.

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