Munich (AP) – Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has criticized the Wimbledon exclusion of Russian and Belarusian tennis professionals.
“The decision shows that the different tennis communities do not stand together. We play on the men’s tour all year round with one rule. Namely, that Russian tennis players are not allowed to play under the Russian flag. Wimbledon does what they want,” said the 25-year-old before the clay court tournament in Munich.
Understanding of out in team competitions
At the same time, Zverev supported the decision of the world association ITF to exclude Russia and Belarus from team competitions such as the Davis Cup. “I think that’s completely correct, because these are really sanctions against Russia,” explained Zverev.
In response to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Wimbledon organizers announced on Wednesday that professionals from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to take part in the grass classic from June 27th to July 10th. Affected are, among others, the world number two Daniil Medvedev from Russia, Zverev’s buddy Andrei Rublev and the world number four Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.
Ranking makes “no sense”
In this context, Germany’s best tennis pro also pointed out the consequences of the Wimbledon decision. “At some point the tennis rankings don’t make sense either. If you’re not allowed to play a Grand Slam as a top player, it doesn’t make sense to have the rankings,” said Zverev.
Zverev himself was born in Hamburg and has Russian parents. His brother Mischa, who also criticized the decision, comes from Moscow. As his brother’s manager, Mischa also works with the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka junior.