“There will be sanctions” Tournament Director of the French Open confirms close monitoring of Russian and Belarusian players
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Tournament Director of the French Open - Amelie Mauresmo, Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev
The 2022 French Open is about to begin in less than a fortnight’s time and the preparations in Paris are at their peak. The Grand Slam had been questioned mainly on two broad subjects this year, allowing unvaccinated foreigners and then upon the participation of the Russian and Belarusian players after the Ukraine-Russia War began.
The 2022 Australian Open saw the ban on unvaccinated players with Novak Djokovic facing the brunt of the ban as he was deported and subsequently banned from entering Australia for three years. At the upcoming 2022 Wimbledon Championships, all Belarusian and Russian players are not allowed for the Grand Slam and any other Grasscourt event in the UK as the war continues even after 2 months of fighting.
Amidst this, the French Open has been quite lenient and have not taken any extreme step on any of the issue. While they did have a vaccination policy in place but with a gradual decline in cases of Covid-19, they have allowed unvaccinated players like Djokovic to play in Roland Garros this year. Speaking about the case of Russian and Belarusian players, there were some strong words, however by Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament director of the French Open.
“It’s very complicated, probably there is no fair decision to take. We keep the line of what all the European governments – and other governments – decided in March, i.e. national teams of Russia and Belarus banned, but not the athletes as individuals, as long as they play under strict neutrality. We will be very meticulous on that. If any of them should have pro-Poutine statements in the media, there will be sanctions fur sure,” said Mauresmo during her interview with France Inter, the national radio, on Thursday, 12th May 2022.
The 2022 French Open kicks off on 22nd May
The second major of the season will start on 22nd May with the Men’s finals set to be played on 5th June, marking the conclusion of the Grand Slam. Djokovic is the defending champion in Men’s Singles while Barbora Krejcikova is in the Women’s Singles and also in the Women’s Doubles along with compatriot Katerina Siniakova. In the Men’s Doubles, local lads Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut were the winners last year and will be looking to retain their title this year as well.
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Sarthak Shitole
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