The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) are consulting about the possibility of excluding players from Russian & Belarus from playing in this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Russian athletes have been hit with widespread bans across may sports due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Currently Belarusian and Russian players are allowed to compete on the tennis tour but not under their countries’ flags. However, it has emerged that Wimbledon bosses may be able to impose a ban on players from both countries without encountering any legal repercussions.
If the AELTC proceed with the move it would affect some high profile players, including world number two & US Open Champion Daniil Medvedev. There has been concerns that should Medvedev claim the title at SW19 it would boost Vladimir Putin’s administration and his continued commitment to the conflict in Ukraine. Russia has already been banned from the Davis Cup, a competition they won last year so have been unable to defend their title.
The last Russian player to win the Wimbledon Championships was Maria Sharapova in 2004 when she defeated Serena Williams in the final.
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships takes place between Monday 27th June – Sunday 10th July.
“Daniil Medvedev” by chascow is licensed under CC BY 2.0.