Over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka are among those apparently set to be banned from competing in this year’s Wimbledon.
According to the New York Times, players from Russia and Belarus, which has backed Vladimir Putin’s government, will be barred from competing in the grand slam tournament.
Wimbledon, which starts in late June, would be the first tennis major to exclude players from such countries. Most tournaments on the tour have permitted those players to compete in the past, but they haven’t been allowed to display their country flags on tournament visuals.
Team events including the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup banned Russians and Belarusians on March 1 while events in those countries were cancelled.
“I feel very strongly that again these individual athletes should not be the ones that are being penalised by the decisions of an authoritarian leadership that is obviously doing terrible, reprehensible things,” WTA boss Steve Simon told the BBC last month.
“But if that happens, which is again part of the overall strategy of making Russia and Russian citizens pay the consequence for the decision their government has made, then it won’t be something that we support.”
Daniil Medvedev, the Australian Open finalist who temporarily overcame Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking earlier this year, would be among those forbidden from competing, despite the fact that he is recuperating from a hernia operation.
Andrey Rublev (world No. 8), Karen Khachanov (No. 25), and Aslan Karatsev (No. 33) are three more Russians who might be seeded in the men’s event, while Belarus’ world No. 44 Ilya Ivashka could also be affected.
Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open winner, world No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka, and Belarus’s No. 49 Aliaksandra Sasnovich would all be suspended.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No.15), Daria Kasatkina (No.23), Veronika Kudermetova (No.28), and Ludmilla Samsonova (No.31) are among the top 31 Russian women, along with No.44 Ekaterina Alexandrova.