For Daria Kasatkina, it was a night of celebration as the Aussie international married her partner, Natalia Zabiiako, at a seaside wedding in Greece. The wedding drew several fellow WTA players, making it a memorable occasion for the newly married couple. Yet the joy quickly gave way to controversy as Oleksandra Oliynykova sparked backlash on social media after posting a pointed message at Ukrainian players who attended the ceremony.

“Girls, judging by your cheerful dancing, I can see you have plenty of energy,” Oliynykova wrote in her story on IG, sharing the Tennis Ukraine post which showed the players dancing at the wedding. “Why not use it to help close the fundraiser for a vehicle for the Ukrainian Marines? With your audience and resources, this could be done very quickly. There’s only $5K left to raise,” she added. [Trans. from Ukrainian]

The 25-year-old then followed it up with another pointed message that directly referenced their ties with fellow Russian players. “Or is it because your Russian friends wouldn’t understand?” she explained.

The current Aussie top seed’s wedding celebrations featured several WTA stars. Among the guests were top Russian players who attended the special occasion alongside the couple’s friends and fellow professionals. The guest list also included players of Russian background who now compete for other countries.

Surprisingly, some Ukrainian players also attended the wedding. Their presence later became a major talking point after ‌social media posts sparked debate among Ukrainian tennis fans.

Kasatkina switched her sporting allegiance from Russia to Australia last year. She has repeatedly spoken about that decision and has also been vocal in opposing Russia’s tensions with Ukraine.

Even after changing her allegiance, the 29-year-old Kasatkina explained that her decision was about far more than tennis. “If I wanted to live a free, open life as I wanted, unfortunately, I couldn’t do it in Russia. I had to find another place. And I did,” she added.

Her relationship with Russian-Estonian pair skater Natalia Zabiiako became public in 2022, and the couple announced their engagement in 2025. 

And while Oliynykova has now spoken openly about this latest incident, the current world No. 52 has always used her platform to show unwavering support for her country, and that has remained consistent over the years.

Oleksandra Oliynykova shares Ukraine’s painful reality during Roland Garros

Oleksandra Oliynykova, alongside Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, has always been vocal about issues involving fellow Russian and Belarusian players.

From Aryna Sabalenka’s disqualification from the WTA Tour to sharing the harsh reality of living in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, she has never hesitated to express her views.

Even at Roland Garros this year, Oliynykova became emotional after defeating Elena Pridankina. During the post-match press conference in Paris, the 25-year-old pulled out her phone and showed an image that instantly changed the mood in the press room.

The photo showed a destroyed tennis center in Ukraine because of Russian attacks.

“I was practicing there for so many years. And yeah, of course, when I saw this…I mean, this is a huge part of my childhood memories. When I see something like this happening, it hurts me so much, and this is something so painful to see,’ she added in the interview.

Now, with the recent wedding controversy putting the issue back in the spotlight on social media, Oliynykova has once again raised her voice and spoken out about what she believes is important.