In the last few hours the tennis world has been upset by a sensational decision even if in some ways not unexpected. The organizers of Wimbledon, obviously in agreement with the British government, after the situation of the war in Ukraine, have decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the tournament.
This choice penalizes two male Top-10 tennis players like world number two Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. Among the women the most penalized is the number 4 in the world Aryna Sabalenka. Here is the statement from the Wimbledon organizers: “On behalf of the All England Club and the Championships Management Committee, we wish to express our continued support to all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine during these shocking and distressing times.
We have also taken into consideration guidelines set by the UK government specifically in relation to sporting bodies and events. Given the profile in the UK and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence by the strongest means possible.
In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to take advantage of the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players in the tournament. It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to refuse the registrations of Russian and Belarusian players for the 2022 tournament.”
Adriano Panatta against Wimbledon ban
After this decision came a lot of controversy and there were many who criticized this situation. World number one Novak Djokovic was among the first to criticize this choice, but Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta also embittered this sad story for the world of tennis.
Here are his words: “I understand that all forms of pressure against Putin are welcome, but Wimbledon is an individual tournament and we are talking about two people (Medvedev and Rublev) whose only fault is that of being born in Russia.
Honestly I find this quite ridiculous!” A complex situation that will have to find a solution as soon as possible: will it be possible to find an agreement between players and boards of the Championships?
