Wimbledon ban lifted for Russian and Belarusian tennis players

AELTC banned Russian and Belarusian tennis players from Wimbledon, one of the most anticipated championships in the tennis world, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Announcing that it lifted the ban yesterday with a press release, AELTC said, “Our current goal is to accept applications from Russian and Belarusian tennis players, provided that they compete as ‘neutral’ athletes and comply with the conditions.”

The AELTC stressed that the conditions for participation are the absence of various forms of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the absence of sponsorship from the states of Russia and/or Belarus (including the sponsorship of state-run or controlled companies).

4 tennis players from the top 10 of the world ranking will be able to participate

Officials stated that they talked to the UK government and international tennis organizations while making this decision. With the decision, the Russian trio Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Daria Kasatkina, who are in the top 10 in the world rankings, and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the women’s world number 2, will participate in the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, which will start on July 3 this year, expected to attend.

What if the terms are violated?

It was emphasized that tennis players and support staff will sign a ‘statement of neutrality’ to participate in the tournaments, and that in case of violation of the declaration, various penalties can be imposed from fines to expulsion from the tournament.