Breaking News :Wimbledon Bans Russian and Belarusian players for the tournament’s 2022 edition

The management committee of Wimbledon and The All England Lawn Tennis Club announced the decision on April 20. They said that the decision is based on official government guidelines, their duties to the players, their community and the United Kingdom public. The tournament is set to take place from June 27 to July 10 and is one of the four grand slam tournaments.

The ban makes Wimbledon one of the first tennis events to suspend Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine in February. There are four Russian men in the ATP top 100, eight Russian women in the WTP top 100 and two Belarusian women in the WTP top 20. Several high ranking players, including world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and women’s No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, have been barred from participating at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon released an official statement that said, "We share in the universal condemnation of Russia’s illegal actions and have carefully considered the situation in the context of our duties to the players, to our community and the broader UK public as a British sporting institution. We have also taken into account guidance set out by the UK Government specifically concerning sporting bodies and events.

"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.

"It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to Wimbledon 2022.

Consequences faced by Russian and Belarusian players in tennis so far:

Previously, athletes from Russia and Belarus have been allowed to compete in ATP and WTA tours. They have been allowed to sign up for the French Open, which begins on May 22. However, Russian athletes were barred from defending their titles at the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Events by WTP, ATP and International Tennis Federation set to take place in Russia during the 2022 fall were also cancelled.

Criticism of the ban

Not everyone agrees that the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from tennis events is the right decision. The current chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon said, “Players should not be penalized because of the decisions of the authoritarian leadership.

He added, "I'm hoping that we continue with the sanctions, we continue doing everything we can to get peace, but again these people are the innocent victims of that, and being isolated as a result of these decisions I don't think it's fair."