Sport continues to be affected by the invasion of Russia and Ukraine. At the moment, the only consequence in tennis has been the suspension of the Russian Davis Cup team, but to this day there have been no sanctions to the players themselves. However, Wimbledon could be the first major tournament to start with these measures as anticipated by the UK sports minister.
Nigel Huddleston spoke at a conference on Tuesday where he was consulted on various aspects related to the sanctions that the British government is imposing on him by Russian personalities, and in this regard he was forceful in stating his position: “Absolutely, no one should be allowed or enabled to fly the flag of Russia.”
In this regard, he was asked whether in June, when the British Grand Slam is held, any measures will be taken for Russian tennis players. “I think it needs to go beyond that, I think we need to be certain that (the athletes) are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to obtain guarantees in that regard. In short, would I be comfortable with a Russian athlete flying the flag of Russia? No.”
In this way, Daniil Medvedev, current number 1 in the world, could be prevented from participating in Wimbledon. While this is not yet official and Huddleston explained that they are already in dialogue with the All-England Lawn Tennis Club to see how to proceed without conflict with the bodies that govern the sport of rackets.
“We are discussing this issue of what we do with people and we are thinking about the implications of this, because I don't think people would accept people who wave the Russian flag very clearly, particularly if there is any support for Putin and his regime,” insisted the minister, who also called for a “broad global consensus” about what to do with Russian athletes.
For his part, Medvedev, who was surprisingly eliminated from Indian Wells on Monday and will therefore cede the top of the ranking over the weekend to Novak Djokovic, was asked about his views on such measures that could affect him. “It's always hard to talk about this topic because I want to play tennis, play in different countries. I want to promote my sport, I want to promote what I am doing in my country for sure, and right now the situation is that that is the only way I can play.”
For the time being, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) decided to exclude the Russian team from the Davis Cup, despite being the reigning champion, for invasion of Ukraine. However, no individual sanction or punishment has been announced on athletes. The measure is similar to that taken by FIFA when suspending the football team from the Qualifiers, ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. The entity also prevented the participation of Russian clubs in international competitions under its wing.
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