The Belarusian tennis association has sharply criticized the exclusion of its professionals from the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon.
The decision “leads to hate and intolerance,” said the BTF association on Thursday and threatened legal action. On Wednesday, the organizers in London excluded professionals from Russia and Belarus from this year’s Wimbledon tournament because of the Ukraine war.
“The Tennis Union of Belarus categorically condemns the decision. Such destructive steps do not help in any way to resolve the conflict, but only lead to hatred and intolerance,” it said in a statement.
Among the pros from Belarus who are suffering are last year’s semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka and former world number one Viktoria Asarenka.