Wimbledon has confirmed tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in tournament this summer.
The decision comes a few months after the International Olympic Committee recommended the sport to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing internationally.
It puts some of the best players in a tough spot Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, and Victoria Azarenka unable to play at the tournament this year.
“In terms of tennis tournaments held in the UK and around the world, we have a responsibility to play a part in the massive effort by Government, industry and sport organizations to limit the impact worldwide through the strongest possible media” Wimbledon said in a statement on their official website.
“In the context of such unprecedented and irrational Russian military aggression, it would not be acceptable for Russia to derive any benefit from the participation of Russian or Belarusian players at Wimbledon.
“It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline the participation of the Russian and Belarusian players to Wimbledon 2022.” they added.
Russia on the other hand, has called the ban unacceptable and the ATP have criticised the move that it is “unfair”.
The biggest impact will be the world No. 2 player Medvedev . The Russian reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year but won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open 2021.
Earlier, the British government said that Russian players like Medvedev should denounce the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin in order to play at the All England Club in London. However, Medvedev has never publicly denounced Putin, although he wants to “promote peace”.
In addition, some of the players affected by the ban include No. 26 Karen Khachanov and No. 30 Aslan Karatsev.
On the women’s side, the top players include No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, No. 26 Daria Kasatkina, No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova and No. 31 Liudmila Samsonova.
