British grass-court tournaments in danger amidst ban on Russian players
Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the 2022 edition of the event.
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Tennis chiefs in the United Kingdom are potentially fearing for the worst, as the grass court tournaments takes center stage in a couple of months. The All England Lawn Tennis Club took a huge decision last year, as all Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing in the tournaments in the UK, including Wimbledon 2022.
As a result, the Grand Slam was stripped off the ranking points. It was believed that the ban would be lifted this year, however, there are no signs indicating the same just yet. If the ban continues, the country could lose several grass court tournaments in lead up to Wimbledon.
The iconic Queens and Eastbourne tournaments could be called off if the All England Lawn Tennis Club does not overturn the ban this year. Morover, smaller tournaments like Nottingham and Surbiton could also face expulsion from the ATP calendar. This would leave a big stain on British tennis, and leave the stakeholders stranded.
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United Kingdom could lose plenty of tournaments if the ban on Russian players continues
Even if the association was to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, yet it would be difficult for the players from these two nations to procure the UK Visa. Last year, the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev missed the Championships, owing to the ban imposed on them.
Aryna Sabalenka had earlier slammed the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the grass-court Major event. However, the 2023 Australian Open champion looks forward to be a part of the event this year. “This is really terrible because no one supports war. No one. The problem is we have to speak loud about that – but why should we scream about that in every corner? It’s not going to help at all,” Sabalenka said.
Russian players have not been stopped from competing in other countries, with UK being the only exception. The All England Lawn Tennis Club will have to take a decision in the near future, as a decision to continue to ban could seriously impact the future of tennis in the country.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)