Tennis Australia says it has advised its players against competing in Russia following reports that Davis Cup team member Thanasi Kokkinakis was featured in an exhibition in St. Petersburg two months ago.

Calls are growing for Australia to expel the Russian ambassador as government officials scramble to establish whether Australian prisoner of war Oscar Jenkins is dead or alive.

Australian tennis bosses stepped in after Thanasi Kokkinakis defied advice by competing in a Russian exhibition. The world No. 71 entered the North Palmyra Trophies event in St Petersburg at the end of November. In an interview for the tournament, he said the city and the people were “really nice”.

A foreign soldier who trained Oscar Jenkins to fight in Ukraine accused Russian troops of torturing and executing the Australian man to make an example of him.

Tennis Australia is warning players not to compete in Russia amid reports Davis Cup star Thanasi Kokkinakis featured in an exhibition there before the summer.

The government is making urgent inquiries after reports the body of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins, who was fighting for Ukraine, has been found.

The Australian tennis star was paid to play in the unofficial event, which was backed by a state-owned energy company blacklisted by the Australian government.

Tennis Australia officials reportedly warned Thanasi Kokkinakis against travelling to St Petersberg for a controversial exhibition tournament last year.

Herald columnist has deleted a tweet criticising the masthead she regularly writes for accusing it of spreading misinformation about Elon Musk’s crusade against DEI policies in light of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Robyn Dixon is a foreign correspondent on her third stint in Russia, after almost a decade ... In 1993 she became Moscow bureau chief for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, covering the ...