Wimbledon bans players from Russia, Belarus over Ukraine war

Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced on Wednesday.

Among the prominent men's players affected by the ban are reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and men's number eight Andrey Rublev.

On the women's side some major stars are also out including, Belarusian world number four Aryna Sabalenka, former women's world number one and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 2021 French Open runner-up.

Soccer, figure-skating and track and field have all banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams from their events because of the war.

The Russian men's national soccer team was excluded from last month's World Cup qualifiers, forcing them to miss a chance to reach this year's tournament in Qatar.

Wednesday's move signals the first time a tennis tournament has told players from Russia and Belarus they are not welcome.

Belarus has been a willing ally of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.

In their statement The All England Club said the move came due to it not wanting the Russian regime to receive any benefit to the tournament, where it is actually Belarusian star Sabalenka, a 2021 semi-finalist, who represents the biggest chance of victory out of the players banned.

«In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,» the All England Club said in a statement.

«It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022.»