Rome – Italy’s government is considering a possible exclusion of Russian tennis professionals from the tournament in Rome in May. As the “Corriere della Sera” wrote, Prime Minister Mario Draghi is considering this option. A government spokesman did not comment on the report when asked.
In government circles it was said that no official decision had been taken yet, but that the possibility was being examined. A possible decision, however, would have to be taken soon. The games in the main draw of the combined men’s and women’s tournament in the capital Rome will start on 8 May.
The background to the examination of an exclusion of Russian tennis professionals is the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, the organisers of the grass court tennis classic in Wimbledon already decided not to admit Russian and Belarusian players. The move drew criticism from the two professional organisations ATP and WTA, among others.
