The LTA and Wimbledon have officially denied entry to Russian and Belarusian athletes for this year’s grass court season.
This announcement follows reports that Wimbledon would become the first tournament to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
So far athletes have played under neutral flag from those countries and those countries have also been banned from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions.
However today’s statement is a landmark moment as Wimbledon become the first tournament to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from playing their tournament.
In a statement online Wimbledon reasoned their decision by claiming that they need to act in the strongest possible way given their responsibility as a worldwide tennis tournament, “Given the profile of The Championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of Government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible,” Wimbledon said.
“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. It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022.
“If circumstances change materially between now and June, we will consider and respond accordingly. We also welcome the LTA’s decision in declining entries from Russian and Belarusian players to UK events to ensure that British tennis is delivering a consistent approach across the summer.”
Commenting on the situation the chairman of the All England Club, Ian Hewitt, believed that there was no other alternative to the situation, “We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime,” Hewitt said.
“We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships.”
It will now be interesting to hear that player reaction to the news with the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova all missing out on the third grand slam of the year.
There was also a statement from Ukrainian tennis players who backed this measure also asking if Russian and Belarusian tennis players could answer questions about their countries regime.
Now we wait to see what other tournaments do in the aftermath of this decision from Wimbledon and the LTA.
