Wimbledon overturns ban on Russian & Belarusian tennis players

Wimbledon 2023 will mark the return of players representing Russia and Belarus after the All England Club announced the revocation of its previously instated ban.

The authorities of the grass-court Major established a ruling last year disallowing players from Russia and Belarus from participating in the tournament in the wake of the two countries' collaborative invasion of Ukraine.

The move prevented the then World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, and former World No. 5 Andrey Rublev, amongst others, from competing at SW19.

The principal governing bodies in tennis - WTA, ATP & ITF - retaliated by nullifying ranking points over the course of two weeks of the tournament.

Having decided to overturn its decision this year, the All England Club has underlined that the participation of such players shall be permitted under a neutral flag. Moreover, these players are further prohibited from expressing support for the war on Ukraine in any form.

"Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as ‘neutral’ athletes and complying with appropriate conditions," the official update from Wimbledon read.

"These will prohibit expressions of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in various forms and prohibit entry by players receiving funding from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships."

Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the All England Club, maintained that the decision was an 'incredibly difficult' one. He was confident that the committee has landed on the 'most appropriate arrangements' for the conduct of Wimbledon later this year.

"We continue to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine," Hewitt's statement said. "This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted. t is our view that, considering all factors, these are the most appropriate arrangements for The Championships for this year."

Ever since the onset of the war against Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players on the two tours have competed without national representation or symbols.

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The WTA and ATP have expressed their appreciation for Wimbledon's repeal of the ban. In a joint press release, the two governing bodies look forward to the unrestrained participation of players at Wimbledon 2023 and at its lead-up tournaments.

They went on to thank the All England Club for having arrived at a decision that safeguards the 'fairness of the game', whilst maintaining their condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.

"We are pleased that all players will have an opportunity to compete at Wimbledon and LTA events this summer," the statement read. "It has taken a collaborative effort across the sport to arrive at a workable solution, which protects the fairness of the game."

"This remains an extremely difficult situation, and we would like to thank Wimbledon and the LTA for their efforts in reaching this outcome while reiterating our unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine."