Daniil Medvedev, recent US Open champion
(Picture: Getty Images)The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players from this year’s Wimbledon Championship has caused a furious backlash from those within the sport, with Martina Navratilova and Novak Djokovic among those criticising the move.
The call was made by the All England Club (AELTC) and backed by the by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), as well as the UK government, and means the likes of Daniil Medvedev (ranked world No2) and Aryna Sabalenka (world No4) will be unable to compete in the tournament this summer.
The AELTC has conceded that the decision could be reversed if things change substantially between now and then, but goes against the rest of the tennis world – which has allowed Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral status thus far.
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (ranked No25 in the world) has suggested that players from these two countries should be allowed to compete once they denounce Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of the eastern European country.
Svitolina said: “We want them to speak up. To say their choice: if they are with the rest of the world or the Russian government. This is, for me, the main point. If they didn’t vote for this Government, it’s fair they should be allowed to compete.”
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