Grand Slam organizer All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said in a statement on Wednesday that tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at this year’s Wimbledon due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the AELTC said it was in talks with the British government on the participation of players from Russia and Belarus in the grasscourt Grand Slam.
“We recognize 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,” AELTC President Ian Hewitt said in a statement.
Hewitt said the AELTC had “carefully considered” alternative measures that could be taken under the guidance of the UK government.
“But given the high-profile environment of the championship, the importance of not allowing the sport to be used to promote Russian rule, and our wider concerns for the public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe that It is viable to proceed on some other basis,” he said.
Organizers had previously planned to announce a decision in mid-May, ahead of the entry deadline for the 27 June–10 July event.
The ban on Russian players could prevent world number two Daniil Medvedev and number eight Andrei Rublev from participating in the men’s draw. In the women’s ranking, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is ranked 15th.
Belarus is an important staging area for the invasion, which Russia calls a “special military operation”.
Women’s world number four Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will be impressed.
The tennis governing body banned Russia and Belarus from international team competitions after the invasion.
Individual players are contractors and many do not live in their country of birth. Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to compete on tours, but not under the names or flags of their countries.
Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpyshev had earlier told the country’s Sport Express newspaper that there was nothing he could do.
“I think this decision is wrong but there is nothing we can change,” Tarpyshev said. “The (Russian) Tennis Federation has already done everything it could.
“I don’t want to talk about that, but I would say that this decision goes against the athletes … We are working on the situation, that’s all I can say.”
Wimbledon has not banned athletes from countries since World War II, when players from Germany and Japan were not allowed to compete.
Earlier, Ukrainian players Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk issued statements calling for a complete ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions.
The international athlete-led pressure group Global Athletes said that banning players from both countries “would also protect these athletes, who have no option but to remove themselves from competitions.”
“These athletes must obey the orders of the leaders of their countries,” it added.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said last month that he would not be comfortable with “Russian athletes flying the Russian flag” and winning Wimbledon in London.