The decision, which was initially revealed on Twitter on Wednesday, is the first time a tennis event has warned players from Russia and Belarus that they are not welcome.
LONDON, UK — The All England Club stated Wednesday that tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete at Wimbledon this year due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Men’s No. 8 Andrey Rublev; Aryna Sabalenka, who was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2021 and is No. 4 in the WTA rankings; Victoria Azarenka, a former women’s No. 1 who has won the Australian Open twice; and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the French Open runner-up last year, are among the prominent players affected by the ban.
On June 27, Wimbledon will begin.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, various sports have barred Russian athletes from competing. Belarus has been a wartime ally of Russia.
The decision, which was initially revealed on Twitter on Wednesday, is the first time a tennis event has warned players from Russia and Belarus that they are not welcome.
Players from those nations will be able to compete in WTA, ATP, and Grand Slam events, but not under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus, according to the seven organisations that operate the sport throughout the world. Both the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup team tournaments were also cancelled for those two countries.
The French Open, which begins on May 22, will be the first Grand Slam tournament since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and Russian and Belarusian players are anticipated to compete.
