Russians and Belarusians have signed declarations to compete, Wimbledon says

LONDON : Several Russian and Belarusian players have already signed personal declarations that will clear them to compete as neutrals at this year's Wimbledon championships, the All England Club said on Tuesday.

Wimbledon announced last month that it had lifted its ban which prevented athletes from the two countries playing last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking at the club's pre-tournament Spring media conference, Club chairman Ian Hewitt said the U-turn had been the hardest decision of his four years in the job.

"This was an incredibly difficult decision," he told reporters. "I think our statement on March 31 set out the position as clearly as we could, namely that there were a combination of factors and it was a combination of factors and developments since last year which led to our decision."

Wimbledon and the other British grasscourt tournaments stood alone in barring Russian and Belarusian players such as former world number ones Daniil Medvedev and Victoria Azarenka last year.

The decision resulted in ranking points being stripped from the events and the Lawn Tennis Association being hit with huge fines by the ATP and WTA.

To compete this year, Russian and Belarusian players must agree to compete as neutrals, not to make statements supporting the war or the regimes involved and not to receive funding from either nation or state-supported businesses.

"The development of the wording of the declarations is obviously based on government guidance, working with the Tours, the ITF and our partners at the LTA," All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said on Tuesday.

"As soon as we made the announcement players were able to sign the declarations and they are able to right up until the entry