Will the war between Russia and Ukraine prevent Daniil Medvedev from playing in the Wimbledon tournament (June 27-July 10)? In any case, said the English Minister of Sports Nigel Huddleston. Before the English parliament, the latter considered that Russian players who did not clearly and firmly show their disapproval of Vladimir Putin should not be allowed to participate. He details: “We need potential assurance that they are not Putin supporters and we are thinking about the requirements we might need to try to obtain guarantees in this sense. »
A firm position, whereas since the start of the conflict, the Russian has been able to continue to line up on the courts, but under a neutral banner and without any distinction or mention of his nationality. Yet Daniil Medvedev has already expressed, on social networks as on the courts, several messages of peace. The future ex-world number 1 has in any case never shone at Wimbledon where his best result is a round of 16 last year. The sports minister’s proposal, which remains unclear, however, did not convince Steve Simon, president of the women’s circuit (WTA).
According to him, Russian and Belarusian sportsmen and women should not have to pay the price for the abuses of their presidents: “I am convinced that it is not individual athletes who should be penalized by the decisions of an authoritarian government which clearly realizes reprehensible things. The latter even adds that he will not support the decision of the British government. “These people are the innocent victims of the situation and to be isolated in the decision, I don’t think it’s fair,” he concluded, in remarks reported by the BBC.