The London tournament will follow the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee and ban players from these countries because of Russian aggression in Ukraine, a first for a tennis competition. Moscow is already denouncing an “unacceptable” decision.
The Wimbledon tournament will follow in the footsteps of many international competitions and refuse the participation of Russian and Belarusian players. Daniil Medvedev, world number 2 or Andrey Rublev (8th), like Aryna Sabalenka (4th), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (15th) and Viktoria Azarenka (18th): the London major will do without these headliners as part of sanctions against the Russia, confirms the direction of the tournament this Wednesday.
Even before an official announcement from the English tournament, Moscow reacted by qualifying “unacceptable” such a decision. “Once again, they are making athletes hostages of political prejudice, political intrigue,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, Russian and Belarusian athletes – whose country is allied with that of Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine – have already been banned from many competitions: Paralympic Games in Beijing, Football World Cup, Swimming world championships…
In tennis, Russia and Belarus have been excluded from team competitions (Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup), but players from these two countries are currently allowed to play ATP (men) and WTA (women) tournaments. individually and under a neutral banner. However, the four Grand Slam tournaments, Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, are independent of the men’s and women’s circuits.
And according to the Times, after almost two months of talks, the organizers of Wimbledon would have refused a compromise solution proposed by the British government. These negotiations were aimed at having these players sign a declaration in which they would not make favorable comments to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘No war please’
The tennis tournament organizers believe that signing such declarations could have a negative impact on the families of the players. The players concerned have also been discreet in their condemnation of the conflict, although the Russian Andrey Rublev wrote “no war please” on a television camera during a competition in Dubai just after the invasion. Medvedev, a strong man on the circuit for several months now, recovering from an operation, was content to wish “peace all over the world”.
As for the players, the Belarusian Azarenka, former world number 1 and crowned twice at the Australian Open, was more explicit. “It is heartbreaking to see how many innocent people have been and continue to be affected by this violence,” the 32-year-old said in March. I have always seen and experienced Ukrainians and Belarusians as friendly people and supportive of each other. It is difficult to witness the violent separation that is currently taking place.”
It is likely that this ban from Wimbledon will apply to all UK grass-court tournaments this summer. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which oversees major Wimbledon preparation tournaments such as Queen’s and Eastbourne, said last week that it would follow Wimbledon’s lead: “We think that, from an audience and practical implementation perspective, there needs to be alignment, to make it really clear and understood. It is of paramount importance.”
Conversely, the organizers of Roland-Garros announced in March that they were considering “at this stage” to accept Russian players on French courts for the tournament which begins on May 22.
Updated at 4:50 p.m. with confirmation from tournament management