The Miami Open is underway at Hard Rock Stadium and both top seeds are prohibited from representing their flag or country. Men’s top seed Daniil Medvedev is from Russia and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka is from Belarus.
Medvedev is the No. 2 ranked male tennis player in the world and Sabelenka is the fifth-ranked female. They are among 11 Russian/Belarusian players who earned spots in the main draw and a handful of others were competing in qualifying rounds Tuesday.
Should they still be playing while Russia is invading and waging war on Ukraine?
British officials are considering banning Russian players from Wimbledon this summer unless they provide “assurance” that they do not support Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“Many countries have agreed that they will not allow representatives from Russia to compete. There are also visa issues as well. When it comes to individuals, that is more complex,” British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said at a UK Parliament meeting last week when asked about Medvedev competing at Wimbledon.
“Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed or enabled. We need some potential assurance that they are not supporters of Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines.”
Many sports governing bodies were quick to denounce sports-loving Putin and keep his country out of international competition in recent weeks. The Russian national soccer team was banned from World Cup qualifiers. Formula 1 broke ties with the Russian Grand Prix.
Tennis canceled its Moscow tournament and Russia has been banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles.
“The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions,” the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and the Grand Slams said in a joint statement.
But Russian and Belarusian tennis players are allowed to continue competing as individuals at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events as long as it is not under the name or flag of their country. The Miami Open draws, the ATP and WTA rankings list, and all other official tennis documentation has removed the country name and flag from next to the names of Medvedev, Sabalenka and the other Russian athletes.
The National Hockey League, which has 41 Russian players, has taken a similar approach as tennis. It condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, urged “a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible,” suspended its relationships with Russian business partners, and paused its Russian language social and digital media sites.
But the NHL made a point to support its Russian athletes, many of whom have remained quiet on the topic of the invasion for fear of repercussions against their families.
“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia,” said the NHL statement. “We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”
Bravo, NHL. Well-said. The British Sports Minister should take heed.
Condemning the invasion of Ukraine and isolating Russian national teams from international sporting events is understandable and commendable.
But banning individual athletes from pursuing their livelihood and passion just because they happen to be from Russia? Asking for “assurances” of an athlete’s political views? What’s next? Excluding athletes because of their religious views? Asking for “assurances” of athletes’ views on the Middle East and other global conflicts?
That is a slippery slope the sports world should avoid.
The beauty of sports is that it brings the world together. Through talented athletes from every corner of the earth we are exposed to different cultures and ideas and minds are opened. Tennis players should not be used as political pawns.
Medvedev was playing at the Acapulco Open on Feb. 24 when the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke. It was the same day he reached No. 1 in the world (he has since dropped to No. 2 behind Novak Djokovic).
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy,” Medvedev said that day. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. … I’m all for peace.”
Medvedev noted that the doubles team that won Marseille Open included one Russian (Andrey Rublev) and one Ukrainian (Denys Molchanov). “This was amazing, because people need to stay together.”
Rublev, who was playing in Dubai that week, added: “In these moments you realize that my match is not important. It’s not about my match, how it affects me. You realize how important (it) is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united. It’s about that. We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing.”
Medvedev plays his first Miami Open match on Friday. It could be against wild card Andy Murray, a former world No. 1 and two-time Miami Open champion, who plays Federico Delbonis of Argentina in the first round.
No matter who he plays, here’s hoping Medvedev is treated with the respect he deserves. He should not be punished for the actions of his country’s leaders.
