After not being welcomed for a year, Russian and Belarusian tennis players are allowed to participate again in Wimbledon this season (under a neutral flag).

Last year, Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam tournament that excluded tennis players from Russia and Belarus. In other major leagues, players can already participate under a neutral flag.

Last year, Kiev welcomed the decision to ban players from these countries, but it sparked criticism from the tennis world. The tennis federations ATP and WTA also decided That tennis players could not earn world ranking points in the tournament.

It seems that the fear of extending this measure was behind the role of Wimbledon. If this procedure will continue [zou dat] “It is detrimental to the interests of players, fans, the Championship and British tennis,” the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which is affiliated with Wimbledon, said in a statement.

However, there are conditions for participation. Russian and Belarusian tennis players are prohibited from supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine and from receiving funding from the Russian or Belarusian state or organizations funded by those governments. They need not openly criticize the war or their governments.

Tom Kieft