Novak Djokovic has slammed the decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from the Wimbledon Grand Slam this summer. Tournament organisers announced the move on Wednesday, which was taken to avoid the possibility of Vladimir Putin claiming a PR victory if a star from his homeland were to win one of the world's most prestigious sporting competitions.
The announcement confirmed that the likes of men's number two Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka, ranked fourth in the women's game, would not be able to show up at the All England Club in June. They have also been told they cannot take part in any warm-up events on UK soil, though there is the potential of legal action from those players who will miss out on cash and ranking points.
Following his Serbia Open victory against fellow countryman Laslo Djere, Djokovic was asked about the decision. The world number one, who is defending champion at the tournament, made it clear that he was fully against the move.
"I will always be the first one to condemn the war," he told reporters in Belgrade. "As a child of war, I know what kind of emotional trauma a war leaves. Us in Serbia, we know what was happening here in 1999.
"Ordinary people always suffer – we've had lots of wars in the Balkans. That being said, I cannot support the Wimbledon decision. It's not the athletes' fault. When politics interfere with sport, it usually doesn't turn out well."
Explaining the decision, a statement from Wimbledon organisers said: "Given the profile of The Championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.
"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships." The possibility of a U-turn was left open, as the statement later added: "If circumstances change materially between now and June, we will consider and respond accordingly."
Djokovic's criticism of the decision was shared by both the ATP and WTA, as the governing bodies of the men's and women's games spoke out against the "unfairness" of denying players from certain countries the chance to play their sport.
"Our sport is proud to operate on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments based on the ATP Rankings," said the ATP. "We believe that today's unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year's British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game.
"Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings. Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and Member councils. It is important to stress that players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis," Express reports.
