French Open star with face tattoos slams ‘propaganda’ in fiery rant

Oleksandra Oliynykova showed the destruction of some tennis courts in Ukraine (Image: Tennis Actu TV)

Oleksandra Oliynykova used her first-round press conference at the French Open to deliver a powerful statement about Russian players on tour.

The world No. 65 secured her first Grand Slam main-draw victory over Russian qualifier Elena Pridankina on Tuesday, and then delivered an impassioned speech, claiming players were “participating in propaganda.”

Oliynykova first attracted attention at this year’s Australian Open, when she made her Grand Slam debut against 2025 champion Madison Keys. The Ukrainian turned heads with her distinctive on-court fashion choices. Oliynykova has tattoos across her arms, but she also applied temporary tattoo stickers on her face.

The 25-year-old has since done this at other tournaments, including the Transylvania Open and the French Open, sometimes coordinating the face stickers with her kit. She also elevated her profile in Melbourne by using her post-match media duties to speak out about the invasion of Ukraine.

Oliynykova’s family fled Ukraine for Croatia in 2011, when she was just 10 years old. They have since returned to Kyiv, and her father, Denis, serves in the Ukrainian army. The world No. 65 has continued to address the war at every opportunity – including in Paris, where her dad was able to be courtside for her first Grand Slam victory.

“It’s very important for me, my father saw my first Grand Slam win in real life. When I finished the match, I took the Ukrainian flag, and I came to my father, and was like, you saw it, you saw first win on a Slam. Yeah, it’s very special and my first match, I’m going to win it only once, and I’m very happy,” Oliynykova said.

Having faced a Russian opponent, the Ukrainian wasted no time shifting focus to the ongoing conflict in her homeland, pulling out her phone to display images depicting the devastation of tennis courts across Ukraine.

“For me, when I play, I’m professional, and I’m doing my work. One day I can win, the other day I can lose. I mean, this is part of my job. The thing is, it doesn’t affect me on the court but we need to understand that this match and making a show from this, it’s not fair. I can show you what the Russians did during the attack with the tennis courts,” she said.

“You can see what’s happening to the tennis courts in Ukraine. Many of our athletes went to the war to defend Ukraine, they died. Someone was killed as a civilian in their own home.”

Oliynykova described the “horrible things” as “happening for a reason” and pressed further: “We need to speak about this, and this silence on tour, for me, it’s very triggering. So there is a part, when I am on court, with a racket, it’s different. But this part, out of court, this is something we need to speak about more, and the sports organizations need to do something about this.

“Because here, they are getting platform, as I told, for this publicity and money and influence, which they will use for these things I show. These horrible things. While in Ukraine, people are dying, our courts are being destroyed, our sports facilities are being destroyed. And here, we need to stop to pretending like nothing is happening.”

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have competed under neutral status since the conflict erupted in 2022, and are also barred from participating in team events such as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. While some other sporting organizations and governing bodies have begun permitting these athletes to compete, tennis appears unlikely to follow suit anytime soon.

“This flag is a symbol of terror. This flag is something, what the Russian soldiers (are) using, after they destroy the cities completely,” Oliynykova said. “These symbols are horrible. This is something absolutely unacceptable, and for Ukrainians, it’s very traumatizing.”

The 25-year-old further revealed that, although she had received backing from fellow players, no Russian counterparts had approached her either publicly or privately. “I get a lot of support, and I hear a lot of kind things. Sometimes these little things, they help you to feel better. Of course, there is so many people who is supporting to Ukrainians,” she added.

“We need to understand this clear. I will repeat this as many times as I need, and I wan’t people to hear.”

]]>