Russian and Belarusian tennis players banned from Wimbledon

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been banned from the 2022 Wimbledon tournament because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday.

“In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,” the All England Club said in a statement.

The ban will keep Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 ranked men’s player in the world, from competing at Wimbledon. Medvedev, 26, won his first major at the 2021 US Open. Andrey Rublev, ranked No. 8 in the world, also won’t be able to compete.

On the women’s side, the ban will sideline Belarusians Victoria Azarenka, the former world No. 1 who has won two Australian Open titles, and No. 4-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the highest-ranked Russian woman at No. 15.

“We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships,” All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement.

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been competing without a national affiliation since Russia invaded Ukraine. The French Open, which begins next month, and the US Open have not barred players from Russia or Belarus.

The All England Club said it would consider a change “if circumstances change materially between now and June.”