Wimbledon Could Scrap Ban on Russian and Belarussian Players, Say Reports

British tennis chiefs are set to desert their controversial ban on Russian and Belarusian gamers forward of this yr’s Wimbledon championships, it was reported Friday.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine final yr, the UK’s governing Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) got here underneath stress from the British authorities to impose a ban.

Russian and Belarusian gamers had been ultimately barred from all 5 ATP tournaments staged by the LTA, together with the longstanding Queen’s Club occasion in London.

ALSO READ| Dubai Tennis Championships: Daniil Medvedev Stuns Novak Djokovic in Semis

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which runs Wimbledon, imposed an analogous suspension.

But Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported Friday: “All expectations recommend that the AELTC will decrease the ban on Russians and Belarusians”.

However, it added players from those countries may need to sign a declaration promising they will not “promote or glorify” Russia president Vladimir Putin’s conflict in any method through the event.

Jon Wertheim, of the US-based Sports Illustrated journal, tweeted: “Hearing that @Wimbledon and the LTA will NOT repeat final yr’s choice to ban the Russians/Belarusians from competing.”

An AELTC spokeswoman told AFP: “We are continuing to work very closely with the UK Government and key stakeholders in tennis on this matter.”

The ATP, which runs the lads’s skilled tour, responded to final yr’s ban by hitting British tennis with a $1 million fantastic, break up between a $750,000 punishment for the LTA and a $250,000 penalty for the AELTC.

Both the ATP and the Women’s Tennis Association additionally stripped Wimbledon of its rating factors.

Ironically, the ladies’s singles title was received by Russian-born Elena Rybakina representing Kazakhstan.

There are actually fears that if the ban stays in place, main occasions corresponding to Queen’s and Eastbourne could possibly be faraway from Britain, with but extra large fines to observe.

None of the game’s three different Grand Slams in Australia, France and the United States have imposed comparable bans.

Players from Russia and Belarus additionally proceed to function at tour occasions though they’re prevented from competing underneath the title or flag of their nations.

This yr’s Wimbledon runs from July 3-16.

Read all of the Latest Sports News right here

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)