Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to world number one Novak Djokovic, is insane. Due to the invasion, which Russia refers to as a special operation, Wimbledon confirmed on Wednesday that all Russian and Belarusian players will be forbidden from competing in this year’s championships.
Individual players from the two countries will be barred from the grasscourt grand slam, which runs from June 27 to July 10. Men’s world number two Daniil Medvedev of Russia and women’s fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will both be banned. The athletes, according to Djokovic, who grew up in war-torn Serbia, had nothing to do with the continuing violence.
He told reporters at the Serbia Open, an ATP 250 event in Belgrade: “I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war. I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia, we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans, we have had many wars in recent history. However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.”
According to a WTA statement, discrimination based on the country is also a breach of their contract with Wimbledon, which says that player admittance is purely based on ATP Rankings. This is the first time players have been barred based on the country since the immediate aftermath of WWII when German and Japanese players were disqualified.
The ATP and WTA tours have criticized the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) decision, calling it unjust and potentially setting a destructive precedent for the sport. Wimbledon’s decision to prohibit players from Russia and Belarus has been criticized by the ATP and WTA tours. If conditions change between now and June, the AELTC said it would assess it and respond accordingly.
