‘Discrimination’ claim over Wimbledon ban

WIMBLEDON’S ban on players from Russia and Belarus at this year’s championships was prompted by fears of the Duchess of Cambridge having to present a trophy to a player from those countries — and in doing so handing a propaganda coup to president Vladimir Putin.

Kate Middleton is the royal patron of the All England Club and would be expected to present trophies to the men’s and women’s singles winners, especially given that the focus of this year’s tournament, taking place from June 27 to July 10, will be celebrating the centenary of Centre Court.

The prospect of pictures of the duchess being used as propaganda material by the Russian government at a time when the war in Ukraine is still likely to be raging — and after the discovery of evidence of atrocities by the military — proved critical to the decision, sources with knowledge of the process have told The Times.

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, No 2 in the men’s world rankings, and Aryna Sabalenka, the women’s world No 4 from Belarus and a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, were both considered leading contenders.

A government source insisted that ministers had not pressurised Wimbledon into the ban, but supported its decision.

‘‘Wimbledon were certainly aware that whatever they did would be framed as a sportswashing moment for Putin,’’ the source said. ‘‘This championship is going to be a big moment for Wimbledon and Kate will undoubtedly be part of that.

‘‘There was some heartache and soul-searching about this decision in relation to the individual players. There are no easy answers, but if you look at it in the context of what is happening in Ukraine then it becomes easier.’’ Figures within both the ATP (men’s tour) and WTA (women’s) have expressed opposition to the ban, calling it ‘‘unfair’’ and ‘‘very disappointing’’.

Andrey Rublev, the world No 8, says the move as ‘‘complete discrimination’’ and has suggested that the tournament’s $NZ65m prize money be donated to families affected by the invasion of Ukraine.

He expressed his disappointment to tournament officials.

‘‘The reasons they gave us had no sense, they were illogical,’’ Rublev said.

Wimbledon and LTA chiefs are braced for a legal challenge in the coming days after the Belarus Tennis Federation joined the ATP and WTA tours in exploring the possibility of some form of responsive action.