Russian tennis players will be banned from competing at this year’s Wimbledon, in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a report.
If the ban, reported by sports website Sportico, is confirmed, stars including world number two Daniil Medvedev and number eight Andrey Rublev would be prevented from playing in the third grand slam of 2022.
The All England Club, which holds the tournament in southwest London this summer, would become the first tennis organisation to refuse Russian players outright.
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The news comes as Russia faces continued pressure from the West to end its invasion of Ukraine – which has forced millions of people to flee their homes.
The ATP and WTA Tours and the International Tennis Federation have allowed players from Russia and its ally Belarus to continue competing, but they are barred from displaying their national flags or playing their national anthems.
On the women’s side, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (ranked number 15), Daria Kasatkina (number 26) and Veronika Kudermetova (number 29) would be among those affected by the ruling.
Currently it is unclear whether players from Belarus, which has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be banned.
If so, two of their highly female players, Aryna Sabalenka (number four) and Victoria Azarenka (number 18), could be affected.
Wimbledon will run from 27 June to 10 July.
Multiple outlets previously reported that British government officials were in talks with the Lawn Tennis Association and considering implementing a ban on Russian athletes at Wimbledon.
Last month, sports minister, Nigel Huddleston, suggested that Medvedev and his fellow Russian players shouldn’t be allowed to compete at Wimbledon unless they somehow assured the government that they were not a supporter of President Putin.
In February, Rublev made headlines after writing “no war, please” on a TV camera after defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Similarly, Medvedev echoed the message and said he was “all for peace” after his quarter-final victory over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the Mexican Open.
What other sports events have Russia been banned from?
Russian athletes and teams have been subject to a variety of suspensions and sanctions from a number of sporting bodies, over the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Paralympians were removed from the Winter Paralympics shortly after the invasion began, while Russian and Belarusian runners were not allowed to enter the Boston Marathon.
The country’s football team was removed from qualifying for the men’s World Cup later this year and in February the IOC recommended barring Russian athletes from international competition, which led to Russian teams and individuals being removed from competing in dozens of major sporting events.
Some Russian athletes have faced scrutiny for branding the ‘Z’ symbol associated with the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, was criticised for wearing the symbol which means “for victory”, on the podium next to a Ukrainian competitor.
He later told Russian state media he had no regrets.
