Tennis
Wimbledon's Ban on Russian Players Leaves Tennis World Divided
by privatebet.com - 2022/04/22
Wimbledon is coming back to London this summer, but Russian and Belarusian players aren’t expected to take part. They’ve been banned from competing at this tournament in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but Wimbledon’s decision left the tennis world puzzled and divided. Wimbledon official released an official statement, expressing “deep regret” for declining entries from Russian and Belarusian players, adding it’s a part of widespread efforts to “limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.” “In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with the Championships,” reads Wimbledon’s statement. It didn’t take long for players to take a firm stance against this decision, which affects men's world no. 2 Daniil Medvedev of Russia and women's world no. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. ATP and WTA also addressed Wimbledon's polarizing decision, speaking against it. ATP condemned it, saying that discrimination based on nationality sets a damaging precedent for the game. WTA described it as “very disappointing”, adding that “individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from competing due to where they are from.” Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to compete under a neutral flag at other events. It’s still unclear if Wimbledon will make any changes regarding their ban and allow for something similar.