Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be banned from competing in Wimbledon (which starts June 27) because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus' support of the ongoing war, USA Today noted, citing a New York Times report.
The decision will impact many highly ranked players, including No. 2 Daniil Medvedev (Russia) and No. 8 Andrey Rublev (Russia) in the men's field, and No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) in the women's field. No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) and No. 18 Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) would also be among those excluded in the women's field.
The All England Club said the British Lawn Tennis Association will also bar Russian and Belarusian players from competing in U.K. events "to ensure that British tennis is delivering a consistent approach across the summer," ESPN reported.
Wimbledon has not banned athletes from countries since after World War II, when players from Germany and Japan were not allowed to compete.
Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the French Open, which begins May 22, but as neutral athletes.