Russian tennis players will be banned from competing at Wimbledon in June, a decision that will prevent current world number two Daniel Medvedev from playing in the third Grand Slam of the season.
The annual tennis tournament at the All England Club in London will cut off the rest of the tennis world by denying Russians permission to compete, according to a person familiar with the decision, whose name was withheld because the conversations were private. Since the invasion of Ukraine began in February, Russian tennis players have been allowed to stay on the ATP and WTA tour.
Last month, Britain’s Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston
Medvedev and his fellow Russian tennis players should not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon, unless they assure the government that they are Putin’s supporters.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. An email sent to the All England Club press office after work did not return immediately. Olivier van Lindonk, Medvedev’s agent at IMG, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Wimbledon will be the latest international sports property to prevent Russians from competing as Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to invade southern Russia’s neighbor Ukraine. In late February, the IOC recommended banning Russian athletes from international competitions, a powerful statement that barred Russian teams and individuals from participating in the Paralympics and dozens of other major international sports. The Russian soccer team was disqualified from qualifying for the Men’s World Cup later this year; Earlier this week, Russian and Belarusian runners were banned from the Boston Marathon.
In tennis, Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete, but not under the name or flag of their country. ATP and WTA also suspended a joint program planned for Moscow in October. The French Open, the next Grand Slam on the calendar, has no plans to prevent Russians or Belarusians from playing next month.
In addition to Medvedev, who spent some time earlier this year as the world’s top man, there are three other Russian men in the top 100 – Andrei Rublev (No. 8), Karen Khachanov (No. 26), and Aslan Karatsev (No. 30). . There are eight in the women’s rankings, including 15th-ranked Anastasia Pavluchenkova and 26th-ranked Daria Kasatkina. Two other top-ranked women are Belarusians, including two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka, No. 4 Ariana Sabalenka and No. 18 Victoria Azarenka.
Last year, the Wimbledon prize pool was around .5 45.5 million (दश 35 million). The men’s and women’s singles champions each earned about $ 2.2 million.