Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev on last Thursday called to donate the event’s millions of dollars Wimbledon to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
“To give all the prize money to humanitarian help, to the families who are suffering, to the kids who are suffering, I think that would do something, at least a bit.” Rublev said.
“Tennis will, in that case, be the first and only sport who donates that amount of money and it will be Wimbledon so they will take all the glory.” Rublev added.
Wimbledon on Wednesday said it would ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament, after tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
“The reasons they (Wimbledon) gave us had no sense, they were illogical. What is happening now is complete discrimination against us.” Rublev said.
England Tennis Club is concerned about the prospect of a member of the British Royal Family having to give the championship to one of the Russian or Belarusian tennis players.
There are four Russian men’s tennis players in the top 30 in the world, with Daniil Medvedev number two and Rublev eighth. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is fourth in the WTA and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian Tennis Federation BTF on Thursday said it would sue the All England Tennis Club to protect the interests of the players. The organization is hiring an international law firm to prepare the lawsuit.
In addition to Sabalenka, Belarus also has former world number one Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top female player Elina Svitolina said Thursday that Russian and Belarusian players who do speak out against the invasion should be allowed to compete at Wimbledon.
“We don’t want them banned completely.If players don’t speak out against the Russian government then it is the right thing to ban them.” Svitolona said.
“We just want them to speak up, if they are with us and the rest of the world or the Russian government. This is for me the main point.
“If they didn’t choose, they didn’t vote for this government, then it’s fair they should be allowed to play and compete.” she added.
