There is disagreement within the tennis world over Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The players’ unions ATP (men) and WTA (women) do not agree with the drastic measure of the prestigious tournament. Tennis players have also expressed their displeasure.
The ATP and WTA are of the opinion that there is discrimination on the basis of nationality. According to the players’ unions, individual athletes should not be punished for the decisions made by a government of the country of origin. In addition, banning Russian and Belarusian tennis players from the world’s largest grass tournament may set a damaging precedent for the sport, they fear.
In a statement, the ATP condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and emphasizes its solidarity with millions of innocent civilians affected by the war, but also points out that in their view the All England Club, the organization of Wimbledon, is acting contrary to the law. with the rules. “Discrimination on the basis of nationality is a violation of the agreement we have concluded with Wimbledon. It states that the admission of players is based solely on the ATP ranking.’
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic also disagrees with Wimbledon’s decision. The world number one called the decision “crazy”. ‘I will always condemn war, I myself am a child of the war,’ said the Serb, who experienced the war between the Yugoslav republics in the 1990s. “Still, I cannot support the Wimbledon decision.”
With the decision taken on Wednesday, Wimbledon breaks the pact that the seven governing bodies within tennis jointly announced at the beginning of March. Together with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), ATP and WTA, the four Grand Slam tournaments decided to exclude tennis players from Russia and Belarus, which is seen as Russia’s ally, from participating in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, the men’s country tournaments. and women. However, Russian and Belarusian tennis players were allowed to continue to play individually under the neutral flag.
The attitude of Wimbledon cannot be separated from the attitude of the British government. The United Kingdom is one of the countries that is the strongest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Wimbledon organization wants to prevent a member of the British royal house from having to hand over a prize to a winner from one of the countries on the centenary of the oldest grand slam tournament. The British tennis association LTA said that the Wimbledon decision applies to all tournaments in Great Britain.
“While denying individual athletes is a complex issue, there is a bigger issue at stake,” said British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries. She was pleased with the Wimbledon decision. “This decision means that Putin cannot use the most iconic grand slam tournament to try to legitimize the horrors he inflicts on the Ukrainian people.”
Daniil Medvedev was one of the contenders for the tournament that starts at the end of June. The Russian number two in the world took his first grand slam title at the US Open last year. His compatriot Andrei Roeblev, the global number eight, is also not welcome. Among the women, the Belarussian tennis players Aryna Sabalenka (number four in the world) and Victoria Azarenka (number 18) are the most famous victims.
Tournament of Rosmalen
On the day Wimbledon announced it would ban tennis players from Russia and Belarus, the grass tournament in Rosmalen proudly announced Medvedev’s participation. The relatively small tournament is used for tennis players as a preparation tournament for Wimbledon. “We knew this was going on, but Medvedev has said he will also come here if he can’t go to Wimbledon,” tournament director Marcel Hunze said. General Newspaper†
He himself had only briefly considered not allowing players from Russia or Belarus to enter Brabant. ‘We follow the line of the ATP and WTA, which is clear. Russians are allowed to play under a neutral flag.’ The KNLTB also takes this position. The decision of Wimbledon is not a reason for the Dutch tennis association to review its own understanding, says Jacco Eltingh.
The technical director of the association has been on the board of the players’ union ATP for three years since 2005. When asked for his personal opinion, he calls the precarious situation very difficult. “On the one hand, you want to use every means of pressure you have to put pressure on Russia,” he says. ‘On the other hand, there are also other countries at war and serious abuses are taking place in other parts of the world. Are we also going to take measures against athletes from these countries? I haven’t thought about it very deeply yet, but I honestly find it very difficult.’
It is the first time since the aftermath of World War II that Wimbledon has banned tennis players from specific countries. At the time, tennis players from Germany and Japan were not welcome. Players’ unions ATP and WTA have already announced that they will not simply resign themselves to the controversial decision that the tournament took this week.