Belarusian and Russian tennis players officially suspended from Wimbledon

This news from the very morning stirred up the sports community: Belarusian and Russian tennis players will not take part in Wimbledon. The information was given with references to unofficial sources. But already in the evening the statement of the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Lawn Tennis Club was published on the tournament's website. However, immediately the Association of Tennis Professionals condemned the decision:

“Our sport prides itself on operating under the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments based on ATP rankings,” a statement from the club read.

“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 swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the match. Discrimination based on nationality is also a breach of our agreement with Wimbledon which states that player entry is based solely on ATP ranking. “

So, it's still too early to put an end to this issue. Wimbledon will be held from June 27 to July 10. And it is unlikely to benefit from the fact that there will not be the fourth racket of the world Aryna Sabalenka or former world number one Victoria Azarenka, as well as Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrei Rublev.