Despite the ATP ban, Australian Open tennis player attended a private event in Russia.

After winning the Australian Open, adrian mannarino was questioned about his involvement in a competition supported by Russian Gazprom.

adrian mannarino spoke candidly about his choice to participate in an exhibition tournament in Russia supported by Gazprom following his victory at the Australian Open. In reaction to the conflict, the ATP and WTA forbade tour-sanctioned events in Russia; however, private exhibition events were permitted, and Mannarino participated in one in St Petersburg during the off-season.

On Monday, adrian mannarino defeated fellow tour veteran Stan Wawrinka in five sets to advance to the Australian Open’s second round. After the match, however, the focus shifted to his off-season preparations as the 20th seed participated in an exhibition tournament organized by state-owned energy giant Gazprom.

Presently, official competitions are prohibited in Russia; however, adrian mannarino attended the three-day exhibition in early December along with notable figures such as Roberto Bautista Agut, Karen Khachanov, and Yulia Putintseva. And now the Frenchman says it was not a political decision for him to enter the competition.

I compete in tennis professionally. I don’t follow politics or anything else. I visited there just now. I completed my work. The world No. 19 stated on Monday, “That’s what I did.” “I have no positions to support. That was an intimate gathering. Nothing about political support was involved in that. Nothing is worth discussing.

A number of Ukrainian athletes, such as Lesia Tsurenko, expressed their disapproval of the competition and the athletes who registered to compete in Russia. adrian mannarino responded, “I had no contact with her, so I don’t know,” when asked if he had discussed his participation in the Gazprom-sponsored event with the Ukrainian.

Days two and three of the competition saw adrian mannarino defeat Serbia’s Laslo Djere and lose to Russia’s Khachanov. A response to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to the cancellation of the ATP 250 event, which had previously been held in St. Petersburg and moved to Kazakhstan.

The Women’s Tour stated that it is not associated with the WTA and that the WTA does not endorse the event. In the off-season, players are free to take part in exhibitions without facing any consequences, as they compete as independent contractors on the WTA Tour. ATP refrained from commenting.

In the Australian Open second round, adrian mannarino will take on Spain’s Jaume Munar after defeating Wawrinka 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3 6-0. This was the oldest best-of-five Slam match in 47 years, with Mannarino, then 35, facing the 38-year-old former champion.