Wimbledon is in a delicate situation regarding Russian players’ participation in this year's tournament amid the country's invasion of Ukraine. That is according to former Australian tennis star Todd Woodbridge, who has advised the All England Club to carefully manage the situation.
UK sports minister Nigel Huddleston was asked about the possibility of Russian players competing at SW19 this summer, and said Russian players should not be able to compete under the country's flag. Huddlestone said: "We are looking and talking to various sports about this and what the response and requirements should be there. Absolutely, nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed or enabled.
"We need some potential assurance that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to get some assurances along those lines. In short, would I be comfortable with a Russian athlete flying the Russian flag? No."
However, Woodbridge does not think the situation should be so cut-and-dry: “That is such slippery and dangerous ground. We all know they have families back in whatever part of Russia they are from, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of that, because your family will pay a price. This is really dangerous territory, and one that we have to be very sensitive about.”
US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and world number seven Andrey Rublev are the most high-profile Russian players in the men's game, and 2021 Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the highest ranked women’s player from Russia. It would be a huge blow if they and their counterparts were to miss out on the biggest tournament of the year, and Woodbridge believes they should be allowed to play.
“It’s an individual sport, I feel at this point we allow them to play,” he continued. “Teams are different, that is national representation. A lot of them don’t live in [Russia]. As an example, for 11 years of my career I lived in the United States.
“Let's see what happens over the coming months, and then we’ll be able to make a better decision.” All Russian and Belarusian players are currently competing as neutral athletes.
The likes of Medvedev, Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova have condemned the conflict in Ukraine. “By being a tennis player I want to promote peace all over the world," Medvedev said. "We play in so many different countries. I've been in so many different countries as a junior and as a pro. It's just not easy to hear all this news. I'm all for peace."
Meanwhile, following a match at last month's Dubai Open, Rublev wrote on the TV camera lens following his victory over Hubert Hurkacz: "No war please".
Pavyluchenkova wrote on social media: “I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid. I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But now I am in complete fear, as are my friends and family. But I am not afraid to clearly state my position. I am against war and violence. Stop the violence, stop the war.”
