• Event was supposed to raise money for war-torn Ukraine.
• Belarus is a close ally of Russia, and Russia has attacked Ukraine from Belarus.
• Players from Russia and Belarus were banned from Wimbledon after the invasion of Ukraine.

Victoria Azarenka, a tennis player from Belarus who used to be number one in the world, withdrew from a US Open event that was supposed to raise money for war-torn Ukraine. This happened on Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, John McEnroe, Carlos Alcaraz, and Iga Swiatek were all going to be at the event, which was set up to coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations.

But a number of players from Ukraine didn’t like the fact that Azarenka was there.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia, and Russia has been able to launch attacks on Ukraine from Belarus.

“In the last 24 hours, after careful consideration and dialogue with all parties involved, Victoria Azarenka will not be participating in our ‘Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition’ this evening,” said the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in a statement.

“Vika is a strong player leader and we appreciate her willingness to participate.

“Given the sensitivities to Ukrainian players, and the ongoing conflict, we believe this is the right course of action for us.”

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who is ranked number 70 in the world, said recently that she turned down the chance to play in Wednesday’s event because Azarenka was there.

“When we found out that there would be representatives of Russia or Belarus at this event, I immediately said that I will not participate in this,” the 20-year-old told reporters.

Even though players from Russia and Belarus were banned from Wimbledon after the invasion of Ukraine, they will be able to play in the US Open, which starts on Monday.

But they aren’t allowed to compete under their country’s name or flag.

The people who run the US Open are hoping that the exhibition on Wednesday at Flushing Meadows and other events during the two-week Grand Slam will raise about $2 million for Ukraine relief.

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