Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the nations of Russia and Belarus have been ostracised by the sports world. Now their tennis players are banned from Wimbledon. Among them is the world number two.
No professional tennis players from Russia and Belarus are to be admitted to the grass court classic at Wimbledon this year, according to concurring media reports. The organisers are reacting to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, as the “New York Times” and the “Times” among others reported on Wednesday. They referred to sources close to the organisers of the most important of all four Grand Slam tournaments.
According to the Times, after weeks of talks with the British government, the Wimbledon organisers consider the exclusion of professionals from neighbouring Russia and Belarus, generally regarded as aggressors, to be the most viable solution. The Kremlin described a possible exclusion of players from Russia as “unacceptable”.
Such a move would affect, for example, world number two Daniil Medvedev of Russia, two-time Grand Slam tournament winner Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and last year’s semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka.
ATP criticises action as “unfair “
Meanwhile, the players’ association ATP has sharply criticised the exclusion. The organisation responsible for men’s tournaments said the decision was “unfair” and had “the potential to set a damaging precedent”.
The ATP positioned itself clearly. “Discrimination on the basis of nationality is a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that player participation is based solely on ATP rankings,” the players’ association said.
The ATP also stressed that players from Russia and Belarus would still be allowed to participate in tournaments under neutral flags. “So far, this position has also been shared by professional tennis as a whole,” the statement said. The ATP, meanwhile, condemns the Russian invasion “in the strongest possible terms” and stands “in solidarity with the millions of innocent people affected by the war. “
WTA considers possible action
The women’s organisation WTA also criticised the decision. “The WTA has consistently emphasised that individual athletes should not be penalised or prevented from participating because of their origin or because of decisions made by their countries’ governments,” it said in a statement. It said the WTA would consider steps and possible action against the decision.
The third Grand Slam tournament of the year will be held from 27 June to 10 July. Wimbledon would be the first event to exclude tennis professionals because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There was initially no comment from the organisers on the reports.
The proposed exclusion could possibly extend to all English grass court tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours in preparation for Wimbledon. At the French Open in Paris in May, strict neutrality is a prerequisite for professionals from Russia and Belarus to take part in the second Grand Slam tournament of the season.
