Tennis Australia justifies its decision not to ban Russian and Belarusian players amidst the request to follow Wimbledon


Tennis Australia justifies its decision not to ban Russian and Belarusian players amidst the request to follow Wimbledon

Russian tennis team

Tennis Australia holds on to its words and allows the Russian and Belarusian players to compete in the Australian Open. Ukraine’s ambassador, Vasyl Myroshnychenko asked Tennis Australia to continue the actions of Wimbledon. He issued a statement to TA asking them to ban the Russian and Belarusian players from the upcoming Australian Open.

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Due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus were banned by many countries. Hence, players like Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and many more couldn’t play in those tournaments. The ATP took serious action against these organizations with heavy fines and removing the ranking points. The AO and Wimbledon were the two big Grand Slam tournaments to ban players last year.

Vasyl in the statement said “I will be seeking a meeting with the chair and CEO of Tennis Australia to put my government’s position and to understand why Tennis Australia has not followed the lead of Wimbledon,” “Every missile strike against Ukraine takes place only because Russian citizens are supporting Putin’s regime. There is no place for neutrality in the face of genocidal war crimes.”

Related: Former Australian Sports Minister who deported Novak Djokovic calls for ban on Russian players at the 2023 Australian Open

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Tennis Australia denies the request

Tennis Australia denied the request from Vasyl and said no player can be banned from the tournament as per the events that took place last year between Wimbledon and the ATP. TA is in no position to go against ATP and ban the players. As a part of this announcement, players from these countries can play under a neutral flag.

TA always supports peace and condemns war. But TA mentioned that Russian and Belarusian players will have to compete under a neutral flag and cannot use their country flags. The note from TA also said “Players from Russia and Belarus are only able to compete in international tennis events as individuals – and without flags or country recognition – which will be the case for Australian Open 2023,

Tennis Australia is acting in accordance with the position and principles outlined in the statement by the Australian Sports Minister, who previously joined more than 30 counterparts from like-minded nations to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Tennis Australia continues to provide support to Ukraine and its community and players, particularly through the global Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which includes a charity event prior to the Australian Open.” It said.

Amongst those, Daniil Medvedev spoke in Adelaide saying “I can just follow the rules as a player; it has always been the same. When we were banned from Wimbledon, I couldn’t play, so I didn’t play. I’m a tennis player, so all the tournaments I can play all over the world, I’m happy to play. I’m happy to show up to play for the fans. That’s the only thing I can do.”

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Related: Mats Wilander picks Daniil Medvedev over Rafael Nadal as Novak Djokovic’s biggest threat in the Australian Open 2023

Related: Dominik Hasek’s FIRES heartfelt plea to NHL, WTA, ATP to exclude Russian players from all International competition