Russian and Belarusian tennis players readmitted despite the war in Ukraine – Corriere.it

Backtrack by Wimbledon that this year – contrary to what was established for the 2022 edition – will also accept tennis players Russians and Belarusians. was the same director ofAll England Lawn Tennis Associationwhich organizes the Championships, to announce it, without going into the merits of the reasons for the change of position, decided in agreement with the British Government. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus, in order to take part in the London tournament, will have to agree to compete as athletes of neutral status, with a ban on expressing support for the invasion of Ukraine in any way.

The organizers also expressed regret for the criticism received last year
following the exclusion of athletes from the two nations directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine. In the press release, they state that last year the conditions for the registration of the aforementioned tennis players did not exist and that total condemnation of the illegal invasion of Russia and full support for the Ukrainian people remain. The decision also affects other British events scheduled before Wimbledon, in particular the tournaments Queen’s in the men’s field and Eastbourne in the women’s field.

Last year the third Grand Slam tournament did not have any value in the ATP and WTA rankings for this reason: the governing bodies of tennis intended to guarantee the possibility for players of any nationality to participate in tournaments on the basis of merit and without discrimination.

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