“I’m not supportive” Andy Murray breaks his silence over Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian players
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Andy Murray
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has not backed the decision made by the LTA and Wimbledon to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from playing in the upcoming Grasscourt events in the UK including the Wimbledon Championships, the third Grand Slam of the season.
The decision was announced on 20th April and has since sent the tennis world into a frenzy with opinions being formed and debated whether the decision is correct or the Grand Slam has got it all wrong by mixing politics and sport when the players are in no way involved in the war apart from being the citizens of Russia and Belarus.
With many former and current players also speaking about it, the 3-time Grand Slam champion Murray had not spoken about the ban, much to the surprise of tennis fans as he is quite active on his social media accounts. Nevertheless, he has broken his silence after he attended the pre-game press conferences at the 2022 Madrid Masters where he will make his Clay debut of the season.
“I’m not supportive of players getting banned. The guidance from the government was not helpful. My understanding of the guidance was that Russians and Belarusians can play if they sign a declaration that they’re against the war and against the Russian regime. I’m not sure how comfortable I would feel if something happened to one of the players or their families [as a result of signing the form].
“I don’t think there’s a right answer. I have spoken to some of the Russian players. I’ve spoken to some of the Ukrainian players. I feel really bad for the players who aren’t allowed to play and I get that it will seem unfair to them. But I also know some of the people who work at Wimbledon, and I know how difficult a position they were in. I feel for everyone, feel for the players that can’t play, and I don’t support one side or the other,” said Murray.
“I feel for Ukraine” Andy Murray points out the crimes of war in Ukraine
With the war in Ukraine now raging for more than 2 months having started on February 24th, reports from the European nation are disheartening. With innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, Murray pointed out that the war has completely torn Ukraine and it left Wimbledon with no choice but to take the drastic step which has not met with complete support.
“People are forgetting about the reasons for why Wimbledon or tennis or sports are in this situation, and it’s because there is a war going on in Ukraine and that there are people getting murdered and killed and raped. That’s the bigger picture. So it’s a really, really difficult one. I feel for Wimbledon, I feel for the players and I feel for everyone that’s affected by it in Ukraine and around the world,” added the Brit further speaking in favour of the All-England Club as well of which he is a member.
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Sarthak Shitole
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