Wary of the Kremlin basking in the reflected glory of a victory for Daniil Medvedev or one of his compatriots, Wimbledon has announced that no Russian or Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at this summer’s Championships.
The decision – prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is supported by Belarus – means world No 2 Medvedev, who reached the fourth round in SW19 last year for the first time, will be among a host of big names denied entry to the tournament. That includes the eighth-ranked Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, a semi-finalist last year, and Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the Russian world No 15.
“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,” the All England Club said in a statement.
“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.”
Wimbledon’s stance, which follows legal advice, was followed by the Lawn Tennis Association, which has confirmed that the ban will be extended to all professional tournaments held in Britain for as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
However, the move was criticised by the men’s and women’s tours, both of which have so far allowed Russian and Belarusian players to continue competing under a neutral flag.
A WTA statement said the organisation was “very disappointed” by the All England Club’s decision, which it condemned as discriminatory.
“As the WTA has consistently stated, individual athletes should not be penalised or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decisions made by the governments of their countries,” said the statement. “Discrimination, and the decision to focus such discrimination against athletes competing on their own as individuals, is neither fair nor justified.”
The ATP also took aim at “discrimination based on nationality”.
“We believe that today’s unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year’s British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game,” said an ATP statement.
Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, also took aim at the decision.
“I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war,” said Djokovic, who is playing at the Serbia Open in Belgrade this week. “I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans we have had many wars in recent history.
“However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. The players, the tennis players, the athletes have nothing to do with [the invasion]. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.”
The Kremlin, meanwhile, reacted with fury.
“Given that Russia is a strong tennis country and our athletes are among those at the top of the world rankings, the tournament itself would suffer because of this ban,” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin press secretary. “It is unacceptable to make the athletes once again hostages of certain political prejudice, intrigues and hostile actions towards our country.”
Ian Hewitt, the All England Club chairman, acknowledged that the imposition of a blanket ban was tough on players, several of whom have gone out on a limb to voice their opposition to the war. After reaching the final at February’s Dubai Tennis Championships, Rublev wrote on a television camera: “No war please”, while Pavlyuchenkova has also spoken out against her country’s aggression.
“I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid,” Pavlyuchekova wrote on social media last month. “I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But now I am in complete fear, as are my friends and family. But I am not afraid to clearly state my position. I am against war and violence.”
The British government had previously floated the idea that Russian and Belarusian players should be barred from Wimbledon if they refused to condemn Vladimir Putin’s regime. However, the All England Club eventually rejected the idea as unworkable, fearing it might place players and their families at risk of retribution.
“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,” said Hewitt.
“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.”