No Russians at Wimbledon? According to behind-the-scenes information, the decision is made, not even Medvedev will play

The most prestigious Grand Slam of the year and this year will probably be without a world number two. According to behind-the-scenes information, Wimbledon will not allow Russian sportsmen and sportswomen to compete, even Belarusian tennis players are being discussed.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes and teams have been sanctioned and excluded from competitions in various ways around the world. Tennis is one of the few sports that has not excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.

But that may change. The news website Sportico reported Russian tennis players will be banned from Wimbledon because of the invasion of Ukraine, according to behind-the-scenes information, it’s already a done deal. Wimbledon organizers have not yet confirmed this information, but earlier said they would discuss the participation of Russian and Belarusian tennis players with the English government.

The New York Times also came up with the news of the elimination of the Russians. The British government has introduced a regulation requiring Russian and Belarusian athletes to declare in writing that they condemn the Russian invasion in order to compete as neutrals on British soil.

If the exclusion is indeed upheld, world number two Daniil Medvedev would not be able to compete at the All England Club, nor would world number eight Andrei Rublyov, who, however, spoke out against the aggression immediately after the war began. On the women’s side, world No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova would miss the third Grand Slam of the season.

If the ban were extended to Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka, ranked fourth, and Viktoria Azarenka, ranked 18th, would also be unable to compete at Wimbledon.

Whether the Russians will be able to play at Wimbledon, the players themselves do not know yet. “I try to go tournament by tournament, because everyone has their own rules,” Medvedev was recently quoted as saying. Wimbledon is scheduled from June 27 to July 13.

Source: New York Times, Sportico, Marca