“Wimbledon 2022 will be an inferior accomplishment” Reilly Opelka believes the ban on players ‘erodes the integrity of the event’
Follow Us
Reilly Opelka
World No. 18 Reilly Opelka is one of the most candid tennis players out there who has never shied away from expressing his opinions around the world of tennis. The American player has also been very active on his social media profiles to interact with fans better and hold discussions about the sport.
With the start of the grasscourt season, preparations for the 2022 Wimbledon Championships have increased steadily. The Grand Slam is one of the most important tournaments of the season but for Opelka, this year’s Championships won’t have the same vibe about it due to the tournament being marred by controversies around the participation.
With the war between Ukraine and Russia still not coming to an end, the decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from all events in the UK continues to be followed. This would mean that top players like Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka and many others of their compatriots will be absent from the Championships. Medvedev is set to become the World No. 1 on the 13th of June and is likely to remain the top-ranked player during the Championships but won’t be allowed to participate.
“A lot of people seem to be missing the “point” it’s not about the “points”. I believe Wimbledon 2022 will be an inferior accomplishment due to the absence of the best possible field. On top of all that I am appalled by the atrocities acted by Russia and have the utmost compassion/empathy for Ukraine and all affected by this complete and utter lack of humanity.
“Sport is the ultimate meritocracy. When you take some of the best players in the world out of the draw based on merit you erode the integrity of the event. It’s about the competitive advantage given to players, like myself by virtue of other great players not being able to play,” said Opelka through multiple tweets from his official Twitter account.
Reilly Opelka’s record at Wimbledon
Opelka has so far made 4 trips to the Grand Slam but has played in the main-draw only twice. He lost in the first round of the qualifier to Rajeev Ram in 2017 followed by a second qualifying round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in 2018. He finally made his main-draw debut in 2019 defeating Stan Wawrinka in the second round before going down to Milos Raonic in the third round. In the 2021 Wimbledon, he lost in the first round to Dominik Koepfer to have his record at the Grand Slam at 3-4 from the 7 matches he has played.
Also Read: Brand new scans from Nottingham reveal if Emma Raducanu will be able to compete at Wimbledon
Follow our page FirstSportz Tennis for the latest updates
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)