London: Russia and Belarus have banned players from Wimbledon in protest of the Ukraine invasion. This is the first time both countries have been banned from a tennis tournament.
Leading players Danil Medvedev, Arena Sabalenka, Anastasia Paviluchenkova and Victoria Azarenka could miss out on Wimbledon. The Wimbledon tournament runs from June 27 to July 10. Medvedev is ranked second in the world at the end of March. If Sabalenka was the player who played in the semifinals last year, Medvedev advanced to the fourth round.
Russia’s Andrei Rubalev is eighth and Karen Khachanov is 26th in the men’s rankings. Everyone can take part in the French Open before Wimbledon. The International Tennis Federation had earlier decided to skip the Davis Cup and the Jean King Cup. The federation has also canceled tennis tournaments in Russia.