Elena Vesnina defends podcast after viral Veronika Kudermetova interview, Holger Rune comments

Elena Vesnina addressed comments made by Veronika Kudermetova after her former doubles partner claimed parts of a 2025 interview given on Vesnina’s podcast, Весна зовёт ("Spring is Calling") aired without her consent.

“My interview with Veronika was one of the first I had done for my podcast last year,” the former WTA doubles No. 1 said in an exclusive statement to TENNIS.com. “I would have never posted anything that my guest had a problem with or asked for me to remove, nor would my production team have put it on the air.”

Kudermetova attempted to walk back an anecdote shared in the cold open for Vesnina’s podcast, in which the married world No. 30 revealed ATP player Holger Rune had slid into her DMs on social media.

“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 straightaway after the interview and she didn’t tell us there was anything we 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.”

We discussed the comments with her straight away after the interview and she didn’t tell us there was anything we couldn’t publish. For me, it was not necessary to bring so much attention to this situation. Elena Vesnina

Kudermetova expressed regret that Rune received criticism and mocking as a result of the story, one that was echoed by fellow player Anna Kalinskaya in a later interview with another former WTA player, Anna Chakvetadze.

“Veronika is not the only player to have told a story like this,” Vesnina said. “I think we’ve all learned something from this. When it comes to Holger, I think it was a good lesson for him to be more careful.”

A two-time Olympic medalist and four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Vesnina has become an active part of the tennis media ecosystem, going viral last fall when pressing world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz about his relationship status during the ATP Finals.

“I’m free!” smiled Alcaraz.

Vesnina plans to be on site—and asking more questions—at tournaments throughout the 2026 season.