Russian, Belarusian tennis players to be banned from Wimbledon

Russian tennis players will be banned from the 2022 Wimbledon tournament because of the war in Ukraine, according to multiple reports.

Belarusian players will also be barred from the tournament because of the country’s support of the Invasion, according to the New York Times.

The ban will keep Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 ranked men’s player in the world, from competing at the All England Club. Medvedev, 26, won his first major at the 2021 US Open. Andrey Rublev, ranked No. 8 in the world, also will not be able to compete.

On the Women’s side, the ban will sideline Belarusians Victoria Azarenka, the former world No. 1 who has won two Australian Open titles, and No. 4-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the highest-ranked Russian woman at No. 15.

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been competing without a national affiliation since Russia invaded Ukraine. The French Open, which begins next month, and the US Open have not barred players from Russia or Belarus.