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Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the tennis season, will reportedly be barring Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the prestigious tournament amid the country’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, according to Sportico.
“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,” a statement read.
“It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022.”
Statement regarding Russian and Belarusian individuals at The Championships 2022.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 20, 2022
The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup have previously banned Russia and ally Belarus from team competitions.
Meanwhile, the ATP and WTA tours, along with the International Tennis Federation, have banned Russian and Belurisian athletes from displaying their country’s flags.
As for implications on the court, the ban would ban world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev from competing on the men’s side, while No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, world No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus would be barred on the women’s side.
Rublev famously wrote “no war please” on the camera in his first match after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev writes "No War Please" on the camera after his win in Dubai today #Ukraine #NoWarPlease pic.twitter.com/p47iPD66bf
— ً (@GabeKMJ) February 25, 2022
Wimbledon is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 27, and will run through Sunday, July 10.