Wimbledon-Aus for Medvedev?
England threatens Russian tennis players
03/15/2022, 21:58
So far, tennis players from Russia and Belarus have escaped sanctions imposed by the associations. They are not allowed to take part in team competitions and have to start under a neutral flag. Otherwise there are no tour restrictions. That could change in Wimbledon of all places.
The Russian tennis ace Daniil Medvedev is threatened with the end of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon. The English sports minister calls on all Russian tennis players to take a clear stance against the warmonger Vladimir Putin and the state of Russia. If this does not happen, they should be denied the right to start on the holy lawn. Discussions with the organizer are already underway. The tournament takes place this year
In numerous sports, Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes are banned from participating in competitions as a consequence of the war against Ukraine. It’s different in tennis at the moment. There, Russia and Belarus are only excluded from the Davis Cup for men and the Billie Jean King Cup for women. Professionals from both countries, on the other hand, are allowed to continue to compete in tournaments including the four Grand Slams with the blessing of the ATP and WTA. Only the naming of their home country and the presentation of their national flag is forbidden.
But that’s not enough for British Sport Minister Nigel Huddlestone. And that could have far-reaching consequences for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament. Because Huddlestone is currently in talks with the All England Tennis Club, the organizer of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, he confirmed to members of the British Parliament. He argued that neutrality might not be enough.
Attitude test for athletes
And that the athletes also have to renounce Putin’s war and their country in order to be allowed to start in England as individual athletes under a neutral flag. “It has to go beyond that. We need an assurance that you are not a supporter of Vladimir Putin,” he said. “We are now examining what requirements we could use to get confirmations.”
At the end of February, Medvedev ousted Serbian Novak Djokovic from first place in the world tennis rankings. He began his reign with a message of peace on Instagram. On behalf of all children and their dreams, he called for peace in the world and between countries, but without mentioning the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The day after the invasion of Ukraine, he also commented on events in his home country on the fringes of the tournament in Acapulco. “We play in so many different countries, I was in so many different countries as a junior and as a professional. It’s not easy to hear all this news,” Medvedev said at the time. “Waking up here in Mexico and seeing the news from home wasn’t easy.”
Medvedev has been number two in the world rankings again since this week. After his early exit in Indian Wells, Djokovic passed him. In addition to Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev and Karen Khachanov also belong to the extended world elite. Among the women, four players are among the top 32 in the world rankings: Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from Russia, Veronika Kudermetova and Daria Kasatkina.