"Hopefully rest of the players boycott, tennis survived just fine without Wimbledon in 2020" - Tennis fans react to Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players

Arguably the most prestigious tournament in the sport of tennis, Wimbledon has come under a lot of criticism for the ban they have imposed on Russian and Belarusian players in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The likes of Daniil Medevedev, Aryna Sabalenka and others will be barred from participating at the grasscourt Major later this year.

Many fans rushed to Twitter to make their displeasure known about the way things have turned out. They feel it is extremely unfair that the players are the ones paying the price for something that is completely out of their control.

"Hopefully the rest of the players boycott. Tennis survived just fine without Wimbledon in 2020," said one user.

Another user called out the hypocrisy by the tournament organizers with a tongue and cheek comment.

"Surely, Wimbledon banned itself when Britain invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya."

Another user feels individuals should not be punished for actions that they have no control over.

"Now individual human beings are being discriminated against, not on the basis of their own actions, but on the basis of their Governments actions. We as citizens, as people, are far more than our corrupt governments. I'm done with this. #boycottwimbledon."

"Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon" - ATP condemns ban on Russian, Belarusian athletes

As things stand, Medvedev will be unable to partake at the tournament this year

Following the statement released by All England Club chiefs banning players from Russia and Belarus, the ATP released a statement of their own condemning the move.

"Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings," the statement read.

While the ATP did condemn the actions by Russia, they also elaborated on how unfair the decision by the tournament is and how the sport is setting a dangerous precedent moving forward.

"We believe that today's unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year's British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game," ATP statement said.

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