Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at this year’s Wimbledon due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the grand slam’s organisers All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said on Wednesday.
“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,” Ian Hewitt, chairman of the AELTC said in a statement.
A ban on Russian players prevents world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, ranked eighth, from competing in the men’s draw. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is 15th among women.
Belarus is a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia calls a “special military operation.” Women’s world No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will be affected.