Anastasia Potapova enjoyed competing at a mixed team event in St. Petersburg this past weekend and expressed a hope of seeing Russia soon be allowed to return to international tennis tournaments.
At the Northern Palmyra Trophies - a Russian exhibition event - Potapova represented the Lions team alongside Diana Shnaider, Alexander Bublik and Tallon Griekspoor. They clashed against Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, Veronika Kudermetova and Yulia Putintseva. The event featured singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches. It was a tight contest throughout - which the Lions won in the end with a 105-101 scoreline.
In early 2022, the ATP, the WTA and the ITF suspended all tournaments in Russia and Belarus. Also, the two countries were banned from competing in the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup and the United Cup.
However, several Russian players had a chance to compete in a team tournament at the Northern Palmyra Trophies - which has been hosted regularly since 2022.
Potapova hopes Russia soon gets the green light to compete in international team events
"I think so. For me personally. I've always been happy playing on a team. I'm both a team player and an individual player. I can also play solo. But for me, it's always been fun; I've always loved it. I hope that will change soon," Potapova told Championat when asked if it was shame that Russian players were not allowed to compete in team competitions.
After the Northern Palmyra Trophies debuted in 2022, the WTA was contacted for a statement. The WTA responded by confirming that they couldn't prevent players from competing in non-Tour tournaments.
This event is not affiliated with the WTA nor is the WTA supportive of the event being held. Players compete on the WTA Tour as independent contractors and, at their discretion, and have the ability to participate in an exhibition without penalty during the off-season," the WTA said at the time.
Potapova, 24, played two Billie Jean King Cup matches across 2018 and 2019, and went 1-1.
