Wimbledon bans Russian, Belarusian players from 2022 tournament

World no.2 Daniil Medvedev one of a host of stars to be banned from All England Club over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

World number two Daniil Medvedev is among the Russian and Belarusian stars who won’t be permitted to compete at Wimbledon this year. Picture: AFP

Wimbledon officials have banned Russian and Belarusian tennis players from taking part in this year’s Championship, provoking outrage from the Kremlin.

The All England Club’s ban, backed by the Lawn Tennis Association, effectively broadens the blacklist to all of Britain’s summer tennis tournaments including the prestigious Queen’s Tournament, because of fears Russia’s world number two Daniil Medvedev may win a trophy.

Wimbledon’s patron is the Duchess of Cambridge, who would not want to be put in an awkward or undiplomatic situation in making presentations to the winner and runner-up.

The All England Club said in a statement that it was “unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players”.

“Given the profile of The Championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of Government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible,” All England Club chair Ian Hewitt said.

“We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime. We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships.”

Medvedev, who had stretched Rafael Nadal to five sets at the Australian Open this year, would have been one of the favourites for the Championship.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, international tennis players have been banned from displaying national flags or overtly showing any nationalistic support but have been allowed to continue in competitions.

In Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Britain was playing political games with sports people.

Banned: Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka. Picture: AFP

Banned: Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka. Picture: Getty Images

“Once again they simply turn athletes into hostages to political prejudice, political intrigues,” Peskov said. “This is unacceptable. Taking into account that Russia is a very strong tennis country, our athletes are at the top of world rankings, the competition itself will suffer from their removal.”

The players impacted by the ban, apart from Medvedev, include top 30 ranked men’s Russian players Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Aslan Karatsev.

In the women’s tournament, players such as Belarusian world number four Aryna Sabalenka and former world number one Victoria Azarenka will now be ruled out. Top 30 ranked Russian women include Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova.