"I dare the ATP, WTA to try this step again"- Alexandr Dolgopolov calls for fans to bring Ukrainian flags to all matches involving Russian and Belarusian players during US Open swing after expulsion controversy

Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov recently took to Twitter to urge tennis fans attending matches at the ongoing US Open swing to carry the Ukrainian flag to all encounters featuring Russian and Belarusian players.

Dolgopolov's appeal came after the controversial expulsion of a spectator sporting the Ukrainian flag from the match between Anna Kalinskaya and Anastasia Potapova at the 2022 Cincinnati Open on Monday. One of the players allegedly felt the flag's presence during an all-Russian matchup to be provocative and complained to the chair umpire about the same.

The person in question was subsequently escorted away from the tournament premises by security personnel. The event organizers later reasoned that the flag dimensions exceeded what is permitted for fans to carry onto the stands and that that was the only reason the fan was removed from the match. Needless to say, Dolgopolov was more than upset with the incident.

"To all the people who admired my tennis and planning to visit the US tournaments, I ask to bring a Ukraine flag to all Russian or Belarusian matches they watch. And I dare the ATP and the WTA to try this step again. Repost please," Dolgopolov wrote in the tweet.

The former World No. 12 argued that sporting the Ukrainian flag is simply a silent way of displaying solidarity towards the war-torn country.

"Our country is drowning in blood and barbaric violence, no russian will bully a silent supporter wearing a Ukraine flag! Have some respect," he further wrote.

Dolgopolov further ridiculed the grounds on which the spectator was asked to leave the tournament premises.

"Ps- keep the flags in the policy requirement, so they have no “fairy tale” reason to ask you to leave", Dolgopolov tweeted.

Players undergo final preparations ahead of the US Open

Serena Williams in action at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto

The US Open swing is in full throttle, with a slew of top names in the sport hoping to bag enough court time ahead of the New York Major. The 2022 Canadian Open saw Pablo Careno Busta and Simona Halep lift the trophy amidst a return to WTA tennis for Serena Williams after more than a year.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who recently announced her plans to retire after the US Open, will be in action in Cincinnati this week. She will take on young Brit Emma Raducanu in a much-anticipated first-round encounter on Tuesday.

Four-time US Open winner Rafael Nadal has also confirmed his participation at the Western & Southern Open. The Spaniard is returning to the tour after nursing an abdominal injury he sustained at Wimbledon and is slated to face either Borna Coric or Lorenzo Musetti in his opening-round match on Wednesday.