World No.2 Daniil Medvedev is set to miss out on competing at Wimbledon this year after the All England Club decided to bar Russian and Belarusian entrants from this year's tournament.
The involvement of Medvedev and that of his compatriots has been a hot topic of conversation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with many sporting bodies taking sanctions against Russian athletes.
In tennis, the ATP, WTA and ITF have so far allowed Russian and Belarusian players to continue competing under a neutral flag and without a national anthem.
But Wimbledon operates under a different jurisdiction, and Russians and Belarusians have been told that they will not be permitted to play.
UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston previously said the government would support entities that choose to ban Russian athletes, adding that competitors should denounce president Vladimir Putin and sign a declaration stating that they do not support his regime in order to be allowed to compete..
However, it seems even that will not be enough to grant Medvedev and his compatriots entry into this year's tournament. Medvedev, who occupied the world No.1 spot briefly earlier in the year, will be joined by world No.8 Andrey Rublev and lower-ranked stars Karen Khachanov and Aslan Karatsev in missing Wimbledon.
On the women's side, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka will all miss out.
A Lawn Tennis Association statement said: “After careful consideration the LTA believes that tennis must join many other areas of sport and public life in sending a clear signal to the Russian and Belarusian states that their actions in Ukraine are the subject of international condemnation.
“The continuing participation of Russian and Belarusian nationals at events risks providing a boost to these regimes when there is an unprecedented international effort to isolate them and sanction their actions.
"The LTA also recognises that individual Russian and Belarusian players may not agree with the actions of their Governments and this is a situation beyond their control. Never-the-less the national governing body believes that it is important to do all it can to support Ukraine at this time, and that this move has the support of the British public.”
Wimbledon is scheduled to begin on June 27.
