tennis

Wimbledon Bans Players From Russia, Belarus Over Ukraine War

Among the prominent players affected by the ban are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No. 1 in the ATP rankings

The Wimbledon brand as seen at The All England Tennis and Croquet Club, April 1, 2020, in London, England. The All England Club cancelled Wimbledon for the first time since World War II on Wednesday, as countries around the world grapple with outbreaks of COVID-19 cases at home and abroad. Wimbledon was scheduled to play June 29 to July 12.
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Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday.

Among the prominent players affected by the ban are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is currently No. 2; men’s No. 8 Andrey Rublev; Aryna Sabalenka, who was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2021 and is No. 4 in the WTA rankings; Victoria Azarenka, former women’s No. 1 who has won the Australian Open twice; and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the French Open runner-up last year.

Wimbledon begins on June 27.

Russian athletes have been banned from competing in many sports following their country’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has aided Russia in the war.

This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the crisis in Ukraine.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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