Wimbledon 2022 champion Rybakina supported the decision to return the Russians to the tournament in 2023
Wimbledon 2022 champion Elena Rybakina appreciated the decision to return the Russians and Belarusians to the tournament in 2023. Her words are quoted by Reuters.
The Kazakh tennis player, who until 2018 represented the Russian national team, supported the decision to allow athletes from these two countries. “They played in [нейтральном] status in all tournaments. Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam they weren’t allowed to attend,” she said.
On March 31, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which organizes Wimbledon, announced the conditions for the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the tournament. Among them was a clause stating that tennis players receiving state funding, which includes sponsorship from companies controlled by the authorities of Russia and Belarus, will not be able to take part in the competition.
In the spring of 2022, Russian tennis players were refused admission to tournaments in the UK, which is why domestic athletes were forced to miss Wimbledon. At other competitions of the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association, Russians play in a neutral status.
Source: Lenta
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