Report: Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players less likely to be extended

Report: Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players less likely to be extended

Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and other Russian players were banned from Wimbledon due to which ATP imposed a fine on LTA - FirstSportz

Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon 2022 owing to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev among several Russian athletes missed out on an opportunity to play one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tour.

However, in some encouraging news for Russian and Belarusian tennis players, the ban is not likely to be extended for another year. As reported by the Daily Telegraph, there is little appetite within the AELTC to extend the ban. However, an official decision has still not been made.

The Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from playing the British grass-court tournaments as well. However, citing eligibility requirements, these tournaments were not a part of the rankings system. ATP also announced a fine of $1 million against the LTA, which is responsible for running British tennis. Earlier, a $750,000 fine was announced on the WTA tour, and stated that the events would be removed from the calendar, if the ban on Russian athletes continued for another year.

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Russian and Belarusian athletes likely to play Wimbledon 2023

Daniil Medvedev - IMAGO / Marco Canoniero
Daniil Medvedev – IMAGO / Marco Canoniero

Wimbledon decided to impose a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, unless they demonstrated neutrality. Their decision was also back by the government officials, and their stance on the subject has still not changed.

The ATP has stated that the fines imposed on the LTA will go towards the Ukraine aid. However, in its protest, LTA has stated that such fines would restrict its ability to hold Challenger Events in the upcoming calendar year.

Wimbledon made a bold decision to ban some top-ranked players from competing at such a prestigious evet. However, it is expected that the ban will be overturned in the upcoming year, due to the increased pressure from the two governing bodies.

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