Is Wimbledon’s Ban on Russians a Double Fault?
Banning players from Russia and Belarus does more to preserve the tennis tournament as a politics-free zone than support Ukraine’s war effort.
Daniil Medvedev was barred from Wimbledon’s 2022 tournament along with all players from Russia and Belarus.
Photographer: Michael Reaves/Getty Images North AmericaDeploying sanctions against Russian oligarchs and banks was a no-brainer. Now comes the far thornier question about how far to go in canceling Vladimir Putin’s Russia — not just politically connected elites but the athletes, artists and other symbolic ambassadors of the regime.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – the body that runs the historic Wimbledon championship – has decided to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players from this year’s tournament. Roland Garros, as the French Open is called, has not made a similar determination, which leaves the odd spectacle of Russian players being banned in some places and not others. One look at tennis Twitter and you can see a neatly divided fandom.