“We want to express our continued support for all those affected by the conflict of Ukraine during this shocking and distressing time,” said the All England Club, and the Committee of Management of The Championships in a statement.
“Given The Championships’ prominence in the United Kingdom, and around the globe, it is our responsibility play our part in the wide-ranging efforts of Government and industry to limit Russia’s global influence through all possible means. The statement stated that the Russian regime would not be able to reap any benefits from Russian or Belarusian players participating in The Championships under such extreme and unjustified military aggression.”
Daniil Medvedev is the current U.S. Open champion and currently sits at No. The ban affects players at No. 2 in the ATP rankings. Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open winner, is also affected along with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Aryna Sabalenka and Andrey Rublev.
Wimbledon organizers stated that they would react accordingly to any “materially changing” circumstances before the tournament began.
“We have carefully considered all alternative measures that could be taken within the UK Government guidelines but, given The Championships’ high profile, the importance to not allow sport to promote the Russian regime, and our wider concerns for player and public safety, we don’t believe it is feasible to proceed on any other basis At The Championships,” Ian Hewitt (Chairman of The All England Club) stated.
