Billie Jean King against Russian, Belarusian players’ Wimbledon ban
Billie Jean King has spoken out against the ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed at Wimbledon this year due to the war in Ukraine.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced Wednesday that players from the two nations would not be eligible for the grand slam.
Also, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) of England stated it would implement the same rule across all its upcoming tournaments.
Upon announcing its decision, the AELTC cited a responsibility “to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.”
The blanket ban rules the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka out of contention, and that is something King is against.
“The decision of the LTA and AELTC regarding Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s tournament was a difficult and complex undertaking, and I appreciate the challenges and pressures they are facing,” she tweeted. “One of the guiding principles of the founding of the WTA was that any girl in the world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete.”
She added, “I stood by that in 1973 and I stand by that today. I cannot support the banning of individual athletes from any tournament, simply because of their nationality.
King is a former world number one tennis player, with 39 Grand Slam titles.
“Tennis is stronger when we stand together, and our continued support of the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which provides meaningful financial support and resources to Ukraine, needs to be our focus,” stated King.
The ATP and WTA criticised the AELTC’s decision, while Martina Navratilova and Novak Djokovic have also voiced their opposition.
In a statement published Thursday, the Belarusian Tennis Federation (BTF) said it was seeking legal advice.
“The Belarusian Tennis Federation categorically condemns the decision taken by the organisers of Wimbledon to suspend Belarusian and Russian tennis players,” it said. “Such destructive actions in no way contribute to the resolution of conflicts, but only incite hatred and intolerance on a national basis.”
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