Russian and Belarusian tennis players will not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this summer because of the conflict in Ukraine, according to reports.
Confirmation of the planned ban, will make Wimbledon the first individual tennis event to prevent Russian and Belarusian players from taking part because of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
The Mail Online reports: The move has been made ahead of the tournament’s scheduled annual press conference next week, where the subject was bound to arise. The WTA and ATP Tours have been informed that a fair smattering of its top players will be barred from SW19.
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Sources high up in the game have confirmed to Sportsmail that the measures are imminent, with men’s world No 2 Daniil Medvedev the highest profile player to be affected.
According to a report in the New York Times both Russia and Belarus will be covered by the suspension, which means that women’s world No 4 Aryna Sabalenka is also out.
While it was always likely that, short of peace breaking out, there would be a ban, Wimbledon has acted a long way in advance of its start date of June 27 and perhaps earlier than expected.
Mindful of the shambles that unfolded immediately before this year’s Australian Open – which tried to finesse rules over unvaccinated players being allowed in such as Novak Djokovic – a clean break has been opted for.
Suggestions that players from the two countries might be made to publicly denounce the invasion always looked unworkable.
Niamh Harris
Now that’s not cricket old chaps.
Really? This is so pathetic. People really are getting stupider by the day.
But did they ban the US and UK after they committed war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, killing 1,000,000 innocent civilians in Iraq alone? Nah! Mr. Wimbledon thinks those were good kills, but if Russia invades a country in which one of its arch enemies was involved in a coup to install a puppet president, then ban them! Way to go Mr. Wimbledon! Not only did you prove yourself to be Xenophobic, but we all know that you approve of war crimes as long as they are committed by the West. Boycott Wimbledon!
does that ban include ping pong tables also? as there is some dude here at the bar with a russian green card who is hogging the table
It`s ok they say it is legal just as someone just called a johhny in but he tazzed the russian anyway
they shocked him back but he says he is leaving the states now