Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK government pressured the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), which organizes Wimbledon (one of the four Grand Slam tournaments), to impose the ban.

[1] On 15 March, UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston stated in a parliamentary committee that "nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed" to play at Wimbledon (to be held 27 June to 10 July) and that any Russians seeking to participate should be required to declare their non-support for Putin.

AELTC chair Ian Hewitt said the decision was due to "the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety".

[12] Many others in the tennis world criticized the AELTC for breaking with the consensus formed by the ITF, the ATP, the WTA, and the other three Grand Slam tournaments to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes.

[11][13][14] Many current and former players spoke out against the ban, such as Novak Djokovic,[15][16] Billie Jean King,[17] John Millman,[11] Andy Murray,[18] Rafael Nadal,[16] Martina Navratilova,[11][19] and Alexander Zverev.

[22][23] However, ATP and WTA points were not excluded from Eastbourne and Queen's because, unlike during Wimbledon, there would remain opportunities for Russian and Belarusian players to compete the same week in non-UK events.

[30] Among the most prominent unable to compete were Russians Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, Daniil Medvedev, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Rublev, and Belarusians Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka.

[16][30] Despite the ban, the women's singles title was won by a player born in Russia: Elena Rybakina[31][32][33][34] (who switched her nationality to Kazakhstan in 2018 due to a lack of Russian Tennis Federation support).

[47] On 31 March 2023, the AELTC rescinded the ban, announcing that Russians and Belarusians would be allowed to play if they refrain from expressing support for the invasion and sign statements attesting to their neutrality.