“It was just a private conversation between me and Elena Vesnina while we were setting up the cameras before the interview; I didn’t think they would include it in the final version,” Kudermetova claimed in an interview with Tatar-Inform, a Russian-language publication. “That is, the story about Rune was off-camera. I even asked them not to include that segment. But in the end, the podcast was released, and it turned out to be quite provocative.”
Vesnina, who partnered Kudermetova to reach the 2021 Wimbledon women’s doubles final, has become a full-time analyst and podcaster since officially retiring from tennis in 2024, and pushed back on the accusation when asked for comment over the weekend.
“We discussed the comments with her straight away after the interview and she didn’t tell us there was anything couldn’t publish,” Vesnina said. “But this situation has gotten out of control. For me, it was not necessary to bring so much attention to this situation.”
