Shamil Tarpischev isn't concerned by the speculations surrounding Russian athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as the Russian Tennis Federation President thinks Russian athletes everything will return to "normal" in 2027.
In tennis, specifically, Russian players have been playing as neutrals since early 2022 – they are allowed to compete on the ATP and WTA Tours, but their flag and nationality aren't displayed. Also, Russia was suspended from competing in international events such as the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the United Cup.
Going into the 2024 Paris Olympics, there had been a lot of talk about what the Olympic Committee would decide regarding the participation of Russian athletes. In the end, individual Russian athletes – tennis players fall into that category – were allowed to compete in Paris, but as neutrals.
Tarpischev: Russian athletes will be participating everywhere by 2027
"Many are expecting a radical decision regarding the 2028 Summer Olympics in the United States. Are these reasonable expectations, truly based on some diplomatic work? the Russian Tennis Federation President was asked, via Championat.
Tarpischev replied: "I think we'll be participating everywhere in 2027, with our flag and anthem. The situation is changing very rapidly, and we have a lot of supporters. The process will be much faster. So there's certainly hope for the Olympic Games,"
Russian players participated across all tennis competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In men's singles, Daniil Medvedev won his opening two matches before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the round-of-16. In women's singles, Diana Shnaider exited in the second round, while Mirra Andreeva picked up a first-round exit.
Shnaider and Andreeva may not have done well in singles, but they impressed in women's doubles and won the silver medal after falling just short in a three-set final to Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Andreeva and Medvedev also teamed up in mixed doubles, losing in their opening match.