Wimbledon are guilty of handing a PR victory to Vladimir Putin after deciding to lift the ban on Russian and Belarussian players for this year’s tournament.
That is the opinion of Ukraine ’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who has slammed the softened stance. Wimbledon announced last month that players from Russia and its ally Belarus would be able to compete in July as ‘neutral’ athletes, provided they agree not to show any signs of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision reverses the stance from 2022 and allows the likes of 2021 U.S. Open winner Daniil Medvedev, world No. 6 Andrey Rublev and world No.12 Karen Khachanov to feature in the men’s draw. Meanwhile, world No.2 and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, from Belarus, and Russia’s world No.8 Daria Kasatkina and world No.16 Victoria Azarenka will be strong contenders in the women’s singles.
