Wimbledon will ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players over Putin's invasion

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been banned from Wimbledon to stop Vladimir Putin’s regime scoring a potential PR victory, the All England Club said today.

The Grand Slam event have confirmed that stars from the two countries will not be allowed to compete this summer because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

All Russian and Belarusian players - including world No.2 Daniil Medvedev and No.4 Aryna Sabalenka - will also be forbidden from playing in any warm-up events in the UK.

The decision leaves open the possibility of legal action from the 17 players currently in the world’s top 100 from the two nations who will be denied world ranking points and potential prize money.

A first round loser in the singles last year banked £48,000 while the champions earned £1.7m each. Russian coaches and line judges will be allowed as they are less high profile.

The announcement is also set to upset the WTA and ATP as the two tours had strongly supported the right of individual players to keep playing under a neutral flag.

But with the war in Ukraine intensifying, Wimbledon statement said: “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.

"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.”

Wimbledon ruled out asking players to sign private declarations stating they did not support the Putin regime to opt for the