Exclusion of Russian and Belarus players from Wimbledon continues to make waves

The ATP and the WTA had already strongly condemned this decision.

World number one Novak Djokovic as well, calling her “crazy”.

The exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from the next Wimbledon tournament continues to cause a stir.

This Thursday, it was the main interested parties, the athletes of the two countries, who reacted.

The Belarusian Tennis Federation “categorically condemns the decision taken by Wimbledon organizers to suspend Belarusian and Russian players.

Such destructive acts do not contribute anything to a settlement of conflicts, but only incite hatred and intolerance on a national basis,” she wrote in a press release.

The organizers of the Major on grass announced on Wednesday the exclusion from the 2022 edition of the tournament of Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine.

As it stands, neither the Russian Daniil Medvedev, world No.2 who is recovering from an operation for a hernia, nor the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world No.4 and semi-finalist last summer in London, will be able to defend their chances in the Lawn Tennis Temple (June 27 - July 10).

"Obviously, the reason for such a harsh decision is in the direct pressure exerted by the British government," says the Belarusian federation (FBT).

"At this stage, consultations are underway between the FBT management and international legal firms specializing in sports law, and a strategy is being developed aimed at protecting, above all, Belarusian tennis players in the world,” the statement continued.

“Totally discriminatory”, according to Rublev

Russian Andrey Rublev, world No.8, said Thursday that the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from the next Wimbledon tournament because of the conflict in Ukraine was "totally discriminatory".

"The reasons they (Wimbledon, editor's note) gave us had, how to say, no sense, they were not logical," said Rublev on the sidelines of the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade which he is playing this week.

“It will not change anything,” also assured the player, who had written “No war please” on a television camera during the Dubai tournament just after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Giving tournament prizes to humanitarian aid, to families who are suffering, to children who are suffering, that's something that would have a bit of an impact," he suggested.

“In this case, tennis would be the only sport to give away such an amount, and it would be thanks to Wimbledon, who would get all the glory.

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His compatriot Karen Khachanov, 26th player in the world who qualified Thursday evening for the semi-finals of the Belgrade tournament, said he was "very sad, disappointed and devastated that these things are happening", he who considers Wimbledon to be "the 'one of the most beautiful tournaments in the world'.

Ukrainian Svitolina against collective punishment

Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, who decided to cut a few weeks off due to intense physical and mental fatigue, said for her part that Russian and Belarusian athletes who speak out publicly against Russia's invasion of their country "should be allowed” to line up at Wimbledon.

"We don't want them to be totally excluded," said the former world No.3, semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2019, interviewed by the BBC on Thursday.

“If players do not speak out against the Russian government, it is normal to exclude them.

We want them to express themselves, to say whether they are with us and the rest of the world or with the Russian government,” she argued.

“That for me is the main point.

If they didn't choose that, if they didn't vote for the (Russian) government, it's fair that they are allowed to play.

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