Wimbledon Bans Russian And Belarusian Tennis Players

Topline

Two of the world’s top tennis players—Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka—will be banned from Wimbledon this year after the famed British grand slam tournament organizers announced Wednesday that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be barred from participating due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Daniil Medvedev of Russia competes during the men’s singles fourth round match between Hubert … [+] Hurkacz of Poland and Daniil Medvedev of Russia at Wimbledon.

Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Key Facts

All England Lawn Tennis Club said in a statement it would be unacceptable “for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,” and said it would decline entries from players from the two countries.

The club said it made the decision after reviewing guidance surrounding sporting bodies from the British government, which has been vocal about the issue of Russian and Belarusian participation in sporting events.

World No. 2 men’s player Medvedev of Russia and World No. 4 women’s player Sabalenka of Belarus are among the most high-profile athletes affected.

Key players who will also miss out on the tournament in June include eighth-ranked men’s player Andrey Rublev from Russia, his compatriot World No. 15 women’s player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and former World No. 1 Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka.

The decision makes Wimbledon the first of four tennis grand slam events to restrict the participation of Russian and Belarusian players, but it is unclear if others will follow suit.

What To Watch For

The French Open, the year’s second grand slam event and the first one to take place since the invasion of Ukraine, is scheduled to take place a month before Wimbledon. The clay-court tournament has so far not made any announcements on possibly banning the participation of Russian and Belarusian players.

What We Don’t Know

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, said in a statement the club may reconsider its decision before the tournament begins “if circumstances change materially between now and June.” Hewitt did not specify what has to change for the club to change course before the start of Wimbledon on June 27.

Key Background

After Russia’s invasion began on February 24, players from Russia and Belarus were banned from team events like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup—tournaments in which the Russian teams were the defending champions. The players were, however, allowed to participate as individuals in both ATP men’s and WTA women’s tours but not under their national flags. Despite this, however, there have been calls for a complete international sporting ban on players from these two countries. In March, British sports minister Nigel Huddleston said that “nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed” to play at Wimbledon. Huddleston also insisted that participation by Russian players will only be allowed if they get some assurance that these players are “not supporters of Vladimir Putin.”

Crucial Quote

Huddleston said in a statement he welcomes Wimbledon’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus. “President Putin must not be able to use sport to legitimize Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” the British sports minister said. “Whilst the withdrawal of individual athletes is a complex issue that will divide opinion, there is a bigger cause at stake.”

Tangent

Sports ministers or equivalent government officials from 37 nations including the U.S. issued a joint statement back in March calling for the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting competitions. In late February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requested global sporting bodies to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus. Since then several major sporting bodies including FIFA, UEFA, International Gymnastics Federation and others have banned athletes from the two countries. Others like Formula 1, the National Hockey League and English Premier League have suspended commercial ties with Russia.

Wimbledon Bans Russian And Belarusian Tennis Players — Here’s Who’s Affected