“Prohibitions against discrimination are expressed in their own rules” WTA denounces Wimbledon and the LTA over the ban of Russian and Belarusian players


“Prohibitions against discrimination are expressed in their own rules” WTA denounces Wimbledon and the LTA over the ban of Russian and Belarusian players

Daniil Medvedev, Victoria Azarenka, Andrey Rublev - Some of the top players to miss the Wimbledon 2022

Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) issued shocking statements yesterday when they announced that all players from Belarus and Russia will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming 2022 Wimbledon Championships set to begin on 27th June. Along with the ban for the Grand Slam, the players from the two countries will not be allowed to play in the grass-court events as well.

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The statement comes in light of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War that began on 24th February 2022 when Russian forces made their attempt to invade the European nation. The war has since then resulted in a lot of bloodshed on both sides and no peace talks have been yet possible that could end the war despite the interference of the UN.

WTA reacts to the Wimbledon and LTA statement

WTA chief Steve Simon
WTA chief Steve Simon

Immediately after the official confirmation of the ban, ATP and WTA both released their statements to express their respective point of view. Both the tennis bodies have not supported the decision and have condemned the Grand Slam for choosing an extreme step even after the immediate suspension of the Belarusian and Russian Tennis Federations.

“The WTA strongly condemns the actions that have been taken by Russia and its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We continue our humanitarian relief efforts to support Ukraine through Tennis Plays for Peace. We are, however, very disappointed in today’s announcement by the AELTC and the LTA to ban individual athletes who are from Russia and Belarus from competing in the upcoming UK grass court events.

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“A fundamental principle of the WTA is that individual athletes may participate in professional tennis events based on merit and without any form of discrimination. That principle is expressly set forth in our rules and has been agreed to by both AELTC and LTA.  Prohibitions against discrimination are also clearly expressed in their own rules and the Grand Slam rules. As the WTA has consistently stated, individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decisions made by the governments of their countries.  

“Discrimination, and the decision to focus such discrimination against athletes competing on their own as individuals, is neither fair nor justified.  The WTA will continue to apply its rules to reject discrimination and ensure that all athletes are able to compete at our Tour events should they qualify to do so, a position that until today’s announcement has been shared across professional tennis. The WTA will be evaluating its next steps and what actions may be taken regarding these decisions,” read the WTA Press Release.

WTA and ATP could join hands against the Wimbledon ban

Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka
Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka – all will be absent from the Wimbledon this year

While the Grand Slam remains under the jurisdiction of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the events building up to the major are definitely part of the respective Tours. 6 Grass events are lined up on the WTA Tour in the build-up to the Championships which 3 will be played in the UK along with 2 events in Germany and 1 in the Netherlands. The ATP Tour also has 6 events but only 2 of them are in the UK.

Many speculations have arisen if the players will boycott the Grand Slam like the famous 1973 Wimbledon Boycott when 81 of the top players refused to turn up for the event because Nikola Pilic was not allowed over his no-show at a Davis Cup match. A large scale boycott is difficult as the major is still 2 months away but it is surely on the cards and if WTA and ATP stand by their players, we might see a very different Wimbledon this year.

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Also Read: Novak Djokovic criticizes Wimbledon’s ‘crazy’ decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players including Daniil Medvedev