Wimbledon will again open its doors to tennis players from Russia and Belarus this year. Criticism came immediately from Ukraine.
Again All England Club announced on Friday (March 31, 2023) that the current intention was to allow players from the two countries to compete as neutral athletes in the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. Those who visibly support the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine are not eligible to participate.
“Procedure carefully developed”
The All England Club announced that this procedure had been carefully developed in a constructive dialogue with the British government, among others.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the decision “immoral” and called on the British government to refuse entry visas to players from Russia and Belarus.
Russian and Belarusian players were excluded from the 2022 tournament in London. As a result, the ATP and WTA player associations decided not to award any world ranking points for Wimbledon 2022. The tournament will be played from July 3rd to 16th.
The exclusion of players from the two countries had cost the All England Club dearly last year. “However, our decision last year to ban Russian and Belarusian players from our tournaments has resulted in both the ATP and WTA tours inflicting us with significant penalties, including the real prospect of our membership being terminated if we repeat the ban in 2023,” said the Lawn Tennis Association LTA.
ATP and WTA delighted
ATP and WTA were delighted with the current decision. The “fairness of the game” was protected through a joint effort by the sport and the authorities. Ian Hewitt, President of the All England Club, stressed that Russia’s war of aggression remains strongly condemned and developments will be closely monitored.