Wimbledon ban panned
ATP FURIOUS AT DECISION
Vladimir Putin’s regime scoring a potential PR victory at SW19 during the war in Ukraine.
Players from the two countries, including Medvedev and double Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka, below, will be banned from all LTA grass-court events in June.
That was welcomed by the UK Government but drew a furious response from the ATP, who said: “We believe today’s unilateral decision is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game.
“Discrimination based on nationality constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states player entry is based solely on ATP rankings.
“Players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis.”
The decision leaves open the possibility of legal action from the 17 world top 100 players from the two nations who will be denied world ranking points and prize money.
Wimbledon said it was “with deep regret” that Russians and Belarusians will be excluded. But a statement read: “It is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.
“In the circumstances of such unjustified 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 ruled out asking players to sign declarations stating they did not support Putin. All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said: “We recognise this is hard on the individuals affected.
“We have considered alternative measures that might be taken 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 concerns for public and player safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis.”
But a tearful Martina Navratilova, who won nine Wimbledon singles titles, said on LBC:“I understand the banning of teams representing the countries, but on an individual level, I just think it’s wrong. “Tennis is such a democratic sport. It’s difficult when politics kind of destroys it.”