Wimbledon still thinking about Russian participation

Wimbledon has not made a decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in this year’s grass-court Grand Slam, organizers told Reuters on Friday, adding that talks with key stakeholders are continuing.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Lawn Tennis Association had banned players from the two countries from participating in tournaments held in Britain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for which Belarus is a key arena.

Wimbledon had said that banning players from the two countries was their only viable option under the guidance provided by the British government.

The Grand Slam had its ranking points stripped, and the women’s and men’s tours fined the LTA and AELTC.

“We have not yet made a decision on tickets for The Championships 2023,” a spokesman for the AELTC, which organizes Wimbledon, told Reuters. “We continue to work very closely with the UK government and key tennis stakeholders on this matter.”

This year’s tournament is scheduled to take place from July 3-16.

Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to ban competitors from Russia and Belarus last year. The players competed as individual athletes with no national affiliation at the other majors.

The Russian and Belarusian flags were banned from the Melbourne Park venue at the Australian Open earlier this year following a complaint from the Ukrainian ambassador to the country.

ukrainian player elina svitolina said last month that the Wimbledon ban must continue.

Russia’s former world number 1 daniel medvedev He said he would respect any decision Wimbledon makes. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus echoed his sentiments, saying the decision was out of his control.

Two-time Wimbledon champion andy murray He said this week that he hoped Wimbledon organizers would allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete in the Grand Slam.