Russian and Belarusian players are competing at the Australian Open, but under a neutral flag. Olijnykova believes they should not be allowed to participate at all, given Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
"I think it's very wrong that they're not disqualified in tennis, like in other sports," she told The Age newspaper.
Olijnykova is ranked 92nd in the world and lost in the first round of the tournament to last year's winner, Madison Keys. Olijnykova's father serves in the Ukrainian military.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka is from Belarus, a country closely allied to Russia and used as a staging ground for the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sabalenka has previously said that she doesn't think sports have anything to do with politics, a statement she reiterated after her victory over China's Bai Zhuoxuan in the second round.
"I've talked about this a lot before. I want peace and if I could influence something, of course I would," Sabalenka said.
"Beyond that, I have nothing more to say. I'm here for tennis. It's a tennis tournament. I've said enough before and I don't want to talk about politics here."
