Wimbledon has banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing this year, citing the invasion of Ukraine
The best-known and highest ranking players impacted by this are Men’s world number two Daniil Medvedev of Russia and women’s world number four Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Not only will the tennis stars not be allowed to compete in Wimbledon, but also any of the UK grass-court tournaments.
The men’s governing body of professional tennis says the move is “unfair” and “set a damaging precedent for the game” while the women’s body says it is “very disappointed”.
The ATP says “Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP rankings”.
The WTA says it “will be evaluating its next steps and what actions may be taken regarding these decisions”.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club justified its decision by saying it is responsible for limiting “Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible”.
The tournament runs from June 27 to July 10.
