Wimbledon Ban On Russian, Belarusian Players Unfair – Rafael Nadal
Men’s tennis world number 4 Rafael Nadal said the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Wimbledon tournament over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is unfair.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) barred players from the two countries from competing at this year’s grasscourt major in response to what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.
“I think it’s very unfair to my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues. In that sense it’s not their fault what’s happening in this moment with the war,” Nadal told reporters at the Madrid Open tournament.
“Let’s see what happens in the next weeks, if the players will take some kind of decision there’s one thing that’s negative, there are things that are clear. When the government imposes some restrictions, you just have to follow them.”
AELTC Chairman Ian Hewitt said British government guidance did not allow players to compete at the event based on their rankings and there were two available options — declining entries or allowing entries but only with specific written declarations from individual players.
The AELTC’s decision has been condemned by both the men’s and women’s tours as well as several other players.
World number one Novak Djokovic, who has also criticised the ban, said that he had spoken to Russian players during last week’s Serbia Open and it was tough for them to be excluded from the tournament.
“It’s hard. I understand that there is frustration. ATP is going to, I guess, analyse the whole situation and understand what can be done,” said the Serbian.
“I stand by my position that I don’t support the decision. I think it’s just not fair, it’s not right… now I guess it’s on player council, the tour management, to really decide along with the players what is the best solution in this situation.”
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters.
