(Paris) The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the organizer of Wimbledon which had refused the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in 2022 because of the war in Ukraine, announced on Friday that it intended to accept them under “conditions” this year (July 3-16).
“Our current intention is to accept the participation of Russian and Belarusian players provided that they compete as ‘neutral’ athletes and that they fulfill the necessary conditions”, announces the AELTC, emphasizing in particular that “they will be prohibited from expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine” and that players “receiving financial aid” from Russia or Belarus to participate in the tournament will not be allowed to participate.
“We still totally condemn the illegal invasion by Russia and we maintain our deep support for the people of Ukraine,” said AELTC President Ian Hewitt, assuring that the decision announced on Friday had been “incredibly difficult” to take.
Last year, pushed by the British government, the Major on grass had refused Russian and Belarusian players, angering the governing bodies of the men’s ATP and women’s WTA professional circuits.
They had decided to deprive the London tournament of ATP and WTA ranking points.
Also, the circuits welcomed the decision of Wimbledon for this year.
“We are pleased that all players will be able to participate in Wimbledon and other LTA [British Tennis Federation] tournaments this summer,” commented the ATP and WTA in a joint statement acknowledging the work done by all parties involved. to arrive at a solution “that protects the fairness” of tennis.
The two professional tennis bodies also reiterate their “unequivocal condemnation of the Russian war in Ukraine”.
Wimbledon had been the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to refuse Russian and Belarusian players in 2022. They had been able to participate under a neutral banner at the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and the United States Open.
