“The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s action,” the international governing bodies of tennis said in a joint statement back in 2022. At the time, Russian and Belarusian players were still allowed to compete, but not under their national flags or country names. That policy had remained in place for years, which is why what happened at the ATX Open yesterday caught so many people off guard.

During the Round of 32 match on Centre Court, as American player Alycia Parks lost the first set 4-6 against Russian player Oksana Selekhmeteva, something unusual popped up on the scoreboard. Next to Selekhmeteva’s name, the Russian flag briefly appeared. It didn’t take long for fans watching to notice.

“WTA is bringing back the Russian flag,” one user wrote on X, sparking immediate criticism and debate online. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

After the 23-year-old Russian secured a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Parks, the final scoreboard no longer showed the flag. “and yeah they removed it afterwards,” another user later confirmed, sharing a screenshot in a separate post. The brief appearance may have lasted only seconds, but it was long enough to stir conversation.

Well, it all started in 2022, when the tennis world was shaken by what officials called a deep sense of distress, shock, and sadness after Russia invaded Ukraine. In a joint statement, the sport’s international governing bodies stressed that their top priority was the safety of the global tennis community.

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And so, the WTA and ATP quickly began reaching out to the then-current and former players, along with others in Ukraine and nearby countries, to check on their well-being and offer support. Soon after, stronger actions followed.

The governing bodies publicly condemned Russia’s actions and outlined several major decisions. The WTA and ATP Boards suspended their combined event that had been scheduled for October in Moscow.

Meanwhile, the ITF Board suspended the memberships of the Russian Tennis Federation and the Belarus Tennis Federation and withdrew their teams from all ITF international team competitions until further notice. This came after all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus had already been canceled indefinitely.

At the same time, individual players from Russia and Belarus were still allowed to compete in Tour events and at the Grand Slams. However, they were not permitted to compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice. But you see, this isn’t the first time the WTA has found itself in hot water over a map-related blunder.

WTA issues apology after supplier’s live draw blunder sparks confusion

It was just last year that the Abu Dhabi Open found itself apologizing to Daria Kasatkina after an administrative mistake during the tournament’s draw ceremony. During the live event, Kasatkina was incorrectly listed as representing Spain, which quickly sparked speculation that the world No. 11 had changed her nationality.

The confusion gained traction because Kasatkina had been competing as a neutral athlete, like other Russian and Belarusian players, after they were barred from playing under their national flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. So when her name appeared next to the Spanish flag at the WTA 500 draw, it immediately raised eyebrows. Her team soon stepped in to deny any switch in allegiance, and organizers followed with a public apology.

“We sincerely apologize for the error made by one of our suppliers during the live draw, whereby an incorrect nationality was shown alongside the name of Daria Kasatkina,” the organizers said in a statement on social media. “This was entirely an administrative mistake and has now been corrected.”

Well, the 28-year-old has not returned to Russia in more than two years after coming out as gay and becoming one of the few Russian players to publicly speak out against the war. She currently lives in Dubai and trains in Spain.

Her team further made their position clear in comments to the BBC. “It is incorrect and we can categorically deny she is switching to Spain,” they said. “This carries some strong implications for Daria if the Russian authorities feel she is trying to switch — which she is not.”

So now, after multiple administrative blunders, do you believe the WTA needs clearer communication around neutral athlete policies?