Belarus' Victoria Azarenka will take part in an exhibition event to support Ukraine ©Getty Images

Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka is set to join Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek in a pre-US Open exhibition event as part of Tennis Plays for Peace, a programme seeking to raise awareness and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Significantly, the event has been pencilled in to take place on Ukraine Independence Day, August 24, at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City.

Azarenka, unlike at Wimbledon, is allowed to compete in the US Open along with all other athletes from Belarus and Russia, although their national flags and emblems have been banned.

This is in accordance with the position of the Women's Tennis Association, Association of Tennis Professionals and International Tennis Federation.

Azarenka's preparations suffered a hit when she was forced to miss out on a key warm-up event in Canada following a delay in acquiring a visa.

Joining Azarenka, Spain’s Nadal, the United States' Gauff and Poland’s Świątek are American trio John McEnroe, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Canadian pair Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime and Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

These athletes, plus others, will compete in a series of singles and mixed doubles matches.

Mike McNulty, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) President and Board chair, labelled the campaign "vitally important".

Twenty-two time Grand Slam singles winner Rafael Nadal is set to take part in the exhibition event ©Getty Images
Twenty-two time Grand Slam singles winner Rafael Nadal is set to take part in the exhibition event ©Getty Images

"The US Open is a stage that attracts millions of passionate fans, and it is incumbent upon us to help guide this passion to help those who desperately need it," McNulty said.

Tickets are priced at $25 (£20.70/€24.50) and $50 (£41.30/€49) and all of the proceeds will go to GlobalGiving, the non-profit organisation being used by Tennis Plays for Peace.

The money will be used to support communities in Ukraine impacted by the Russian invasion as well as the surrounding regions where millions of Ukrainian refugees have fled.

The US Open also has invited the Ukraine Chorus Dumka of New York to participate in the Grand Slam's celebrations for opening night.

"I'm proud of the way in which our sport has rallied together to lend a much-needed hand to our friends in Ukraine," McNulty said.

"I'm likewise proud that we are able to use the global platform of the US Open to enhance the giving effort, and I urge everyone to do all they can to help us show the people of Ukraine that we stand with them in their time of need."

Since its launch in March, Tennis Plays for Peace, which counts on support from of all the sport’s governing bodies and four Grand Slam tournaments, has raised more than $1 million (£828,000/€981,000).

The USTA predicts it can generate at least $2 million (£1.7 million/€1.9 million) during the three-week US Open.

US Open "Fan Week" is scheduled to stretch from August 23 to August 28, with the Grand Slam proper being staged between August 29 and September 11.

As of today, the United Nations has recorded at least 5,514 civilian deaths in Ukraine and 7,689 injuries since the full-scale invasion began on February 24.

It fears that the true figures are considerably higher.