— Published on April 3, 2023

Wimbledon reopens its doors to Russians and Belarusians

Tennis

The parenthesis is closed. The organizers of the Wimbledon tournament announced at the end of last week that they would accept “ under conditions " the participation of Russian and Belarusian players during the next edition of the British stage of the Grand Slam, scheduled for July 3 to 16, 2023. The London tournament will therefore align with the policy adopted since the start of the conflict in Ukraine by the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Flushing Meadows. “ Our current intention is to accept the participation of Russian and Belarusian players provided they compete as "neutral" athletes and meet the required conditions., explains a press release from the All England Lawn Tennis Club. We continue to fully condemn Russia's illegal invasion and maintain our deep support for the people of Ukraine. » Russian and Belarusian players will be banned from expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, the tournament reserves the right to refuse the participation of players “ receiving financial aid » from Russia or Belarus. As a reminder, Wimbledon banned Russians and Belarusians last year under pressure from the British authorities. This decision meant that he could not award points for the ATP and WTA rankings. The two professional organizations welcomed the British decision on Friday March 31. “ We are happy that all players can participate in Wimbledon and other LTA tournaments (British Tennis Federation) this summer ", said the ATP and WTA in a joint statement. Conversely, the Ukrainian government condemned the decision of the London organizers, judging it “ immoral”. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, asked the British government “ refuse to issue visas to players” Russians and Belarusians.