"My dad built part of the stadium for this team so it’s in our family"- Anastasia Potapova justifies wearing Russian soccer club shirt at Indian Wells

Anastasia Potapova has claimed that she wore the jersey of the Russian soccer team Spartak Moscow out of her love for the club.

The 21-year-old made headlines during the BNP Paribas Open after donning the club's colors ahead of her third-round match against Jessica Pegula. This immediately generated controversy given the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Potapova justified her decision by claiming that she was a huge fan of the club, specifying that there were no political intentions behind it. The Russian also claimed that her father helped build a part of the team's stadium, the Otkrytie Bank Arena.

"There was not any political intention in this shirt. I'm just a super fan of Spartak since I was 10 years old. My dad built part of the stadium for this team so it’s in our family. I'm good friends with them. I was very surprised because there was no bad intention in this," Potapova said.

Iga Swiatek surprised by Anastasia Potapova wearing Spartak Moscow jersey in Indian Wells

Iga Swiatek speaking following her withdrawal from the Miami Open

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was far from pleased with Anastasia Potapova wearing a Spartak Moscow jersey in Indian Wells, stating that she was surprised by her colleague's actions given the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

"To be honest, I was surprised because I thought she realized that she shouldn't, even if she's a fan of the team, show her views at times like this. I didn't know what the WTA would do or what the consequences would be," Swiatek said.

The Pole also disclosed that she spoke to the WTA regarding the matter and was assured that players would be warned against promoting any Russian team.

"I talked to the WTA and in a sense I learned that there will probably be fewer of these situations, because they will explain to other players that you can't promote any Russian teams these days, which calmed me down a bit," she added.

Anastasia Potapova is currently competing in the Miami Open, where she is the 27th seed. The Russian booked her place in the third round with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk.

She will next take on sixth seed Coco Gauff on Saturday (March 25), with the winner facing either 12th seed Liudmila Samsonova or 23rd seed Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round.