After being reduced to an exhibition in 2022, the Wimbledon tournament aspires to regain all its finery for its 2023 edition. A year after having refused the participation of Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine, and having been deprived of the allocation of points by the ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) circuits – a retaliatory measure – the British Grand Slam tournament announced on Friday March 31 that it intended to accept them under “conditions ” This year.
“Our intention is to accept Russian and Belarusian players to participate provided they compete as ‘neutral’ athletes and meet the required conditions,” the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said in a statement. Among the terms specified, athletes from both countries will be prohibited from expressing their support for the Russian invasion and from being financially assisted by Russia or Belarus.
Last year, pushed by the British government, the prestigious Major on grass refused Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in its tournament, provoking the ire of the governing bodies of the professional circuits. A decision that the tournament had been the only one to make, Russian and Belarusian players having been authorized to compete under a neutral banner at Roland-Garros, the US Open and then the Australian Open this year. The WTA and ATP had decided to deprive the London tournament of ranking points, arguing that the “fundamental” principle of fairness was being challenged – the ability for all to participate in all tournaments “on the basis of their merit and without discrimination”.
In its statement, the AELTC acknowledged that its decision had provoked a “strong reaction of disappointment” from “certain tennis governing bodies”. And admitted that to repeat this year would have had “damaging consequences for the interest of the players, the fans, the Wimbledon tournament and British tennis. »
Friday, ATP like WTA welcomed the choice of Wimbledon to reconsider its decision. “We look forward to all players being able to participate in Wimbledon and other LTA [British Tennis Federation] tournaments this summer,” the two bodies wrote in a joint statement, welcoming a solution “that protects fairness.” tennis.
A year after the start of the war in Ukraine, the question of the reincorporation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the competitions from which they were banned is more than ever on the front of the stage. On March 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reaffirmed its desire to reintegrate athletes from both countries, banned from world sport after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and banned from most international competitions. In response, Kiev said Thursday that its athletes were not allowed to participate in the qualifying events for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) in Paris, in which Russians would take part.
On Friday, when announcing its decision to return to a tournament where every player can compete, Wimbledon reaffirmed its opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We still fully condemn the illegal invasion by Russia and we maintain our deep support for the people of Ukraine,” insisted AELTC President Ian Hewitt, followed by the WTA and ATP in their statement.
A year after winning a Grand Slam without winning a single ATP point, Serbian Novak Djokovic will be able to defend his title (July 3-16) on the London turf with more at stake. And on the women’s side, the organizers are now sure to save themselves the snub they experienced last year, when the Kazakh of Russian origin, Elena Rybakina, won the edition where Russians and Belarusians were put on the ban.
