Emma Raducanu’s opponent got ban from Wimbledon and had secret divorce | Tennis | Sport

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu is likely to have more fans than usual in her corner when she appears in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open on Wednesday. That’s thanks to the divisive character of opponent Anastasia Potapova, who has stirred major controversy in the past.

Raducanu, 23, sailed into the next round of the year’s first Grand Slam after dispatching Mananchaya Sawangkaew in straight sets. However, she’ll have a tougher task on her hands in overcoming former world No. 21 Potapova. After reaching the third round in Melbourne last year, Raducanu is on the cusp of matching her career-best finish Down Under. The same is true for Potapova, who managed her only Australian Open third-round appearance back in 2021.

Wimbledon ban and shirt controversy

Potapova, 24, was one of many Russian athletes banned from ATP and WTA competitions following her home country’s latest invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia-born players had their eligibility suspended, along with athletes from Belarus, while they competed under the banner of those countries.

Many ineligible players got around the ban by agreeing to compete as neutrals, with no national allegiance. Potapova was one of those but later broke one of the criteria included in that agreement when she wore a Spartak Moscow football shirt during her court entrace at Indian Wells in 2023.

Part of the bargain excluded Russian and Belarusian players from making political statements regarding the war. But Potapova appeared to ignore that when she wore the Spartak jersey ahead of her clash with Jessica Pegula almost three years ago. In a bid to be allowed to play at Wimbledon that year, she insisted there was “no political intent” behind the manoeuvre.

However, that’s somewhat difficult to believe given players almost never wear such items on court and the fact Spartak is such a prominent club in Russian football. WTA Chairman Steve Simon confirmed after the stunt that Potapova had been issued a formal warning over the incident. She’s yet to make a repeat of that move and has even taken steps to distance herself further from Russia.

Nationality switch

Following her difficulties competing as a neutral, Potapova has since attained Austrian citizenship and moved her headquarters to Vienna. This is the first season in which the rising talent will be competing under the Austrian flag.

Confirming her switch in national allegiance, she wrote on Instagram last year: “I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian government.

“Austria is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Wien (Vienna) and look forward to making my second home there.

“As part of this I am proud to announce that starting from 2026 I will be representing my new homeland Austria in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.”

‘Secret divorce’ from fellow pro

Tennis has produced numerous power couples over the years. However, Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko weren’t destined to be one of them. She and Kazakh contender Shevchenko went public with their relationship in late 2022 and wed 12 months later.

However, the nuptials lasted less than a year, and they confirmed they were divorcing in September 2024. “I guess we had problems,” she told Bolshe while discussing the split last year. “Some couples get over these problems, and some don’t. Unfortunately, we were one of the couples that didn’t.”

Potapova would have preferred to keep such a private aspect of her personal matters out of the spotlight. However, she went on to detail how her life can be “like a TV show” for fans and journalists, which forced her to go public. “My team, my close ones, even me, we were all shocked by how mentally strong I could be,” she added.

“Every other person came to me and asked, ‘So what, you two broke up?’ On tour, outside the tour. Of course, it’s not really polite, but it’s life and people are curious. It’s like a TV show for them. I think I needed to put an end to it, to end things officially, so I wouldn’t get those questions anymore. I think that was the last step I needed to finally set myself free.”