The organizers of the Grass Major decided to remove the disqualification from the players representing Russia and Belarus. They will be able to play at the Grand Slam tournament in a neutral status.
“We continue to fully condemn Russia’s illegal invasion, and our sincere support remains with the people of Ukraine. This decision was extremely difficult, not taken lightly or without special attention to those who will be affected,” said the head of the organization, Ian Hewitt.
Belarusian and Russian tennis players will be able to play at Wimbledon 2023 on condition that the aggressor country and its ally refuse state funding. They will also be prohibited from expressing support for the war. Last year, the organizers banned the participation of the Russian Federation and Belarus, so that the Russian regime “did not derive any benefit” from the competition.
The oldest Grand Slam tournament announced the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from participation in April last year. In response, the ATP and WTA stripped the competition of ranking points in 2022 and also fined Wimbledon $1 million each. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) and Serb Novak Djokovic became the winners of the tournament in the women’s and men’s categories.
