Wimbledon set to make U-turn on Russian and Belarusian player ban following expulsion threats

A logo at Wimbledon

Russian and Belarusian players are expected to play at Wimbledon next year with the All England Club (AELTC) reportedly on the verge of lifting its controversial ban.

The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka were forced to miss this year’s grass-court Grand Slam at SW19 after AELTC and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) banned players from Russia and Belarus from competing in tournaments in the United Kingdom.

The move came on the back of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine in February, but the decision did not go down well with the ATP and WTA as they retaliated by stripping Wimbledon of ranking points.

The ATP this week also issued the LTA with $1 million fine while the WTA went a similar route in July as the LTA was fined $750,000 and AELTC £250,000.

But that is not where the matter ends as British tennis has been threatened with expulsion from the ATP Tour if it repeats the ban this year.

The LTA is yet to confirm its response to the fine, but said in a statement: “The LTA is deeply disappointed with this outcome. The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the international sporting community and UK Government’s response to that invasion.”

The fines will have a big impact on the LTA’s ability to host tennis events and develop players.

“For example, we had intended to host a number of ATP Challenger level events to give more opportunities to lower ranked players in the first quarter of 2023 and will now not be able to do this, particularly given the possibility of further fines,” the statement added.

Wimbledon and the LTA were essentially going it alone with the ban as they didn’t receive any support from the other Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open and US Open) and The Times reports that AELTC is now considering lifting the ban due to the big fines and the threat of expulsion.

However, the All England Club could be prevented from reversing the ban as the UK Government is sticking to its guns when it comes to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from sporting events.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said in a statement: “We are clear that sport cannot be used to legitimise this deadly invasion and that athletes representing Russia and Belarusian states should be banned from competing in other countries.

“Despite widespread condemnation, the international tennis tours are determined to be outcasts in this, with investment in the growth of our domestic game hampered as a result.”

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