Wimbledon refuses to be swayed over bans on Russian and Belarusian players
Wimbledon is prepared to hold firm on its ban on players from Russia and Belarus long term while the Government maintains hostilities over the war in Ukraine.
The All England Club has underlined to the ATP and WTA tours that restrictions are not permanent, but there is little hope that ranking points will be restored while suspensions are in place.
Executives remain in close dialogue with the tours although it is now far too late for a change of heart, which could have led to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing on Monday.
Instead, the focus of talks will be to ensure the likes of Daniil Medvedev, the reigning US Open men’s singles champion, and Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, are in a position to return in 2023.
Sources close to the tournament say the situation is out of their hands, however. There has been no signal from Government that ministers have shifted in position since telling governing bodies to make Vladimir Putin "a sporting pariah".
Controversy around the Russia ban has been a major distraction for organisers ahead of the first round on Monday of what has effectively been reduced to an exhibition tournament. Last month the tournament was stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and WTA, plunging Wimbledon into one of the biggest crises in its history.
It had been thought that Wimbledon chiefs were keen to avoid the nightmare scenario of the Duchess of Cambridge presenting the trophy to a Russian player in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Wimbledon organisers have previously said they had "deep disappointment" at the removal of ranking points, but insisted they would stand firm. "We deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected," they added in a statement.
"We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who compete on tour.
"We remain unwilling to accept success or participation at Wimbledon being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime, which, through its closely controlled state media, has an acknowledged history of using sporting success to support a triumphant narrative to the Russian people."
