Daniil Medvedev replaces Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings for three weeks in 2022.
Russian and Belarusian players will not be eligible to participate in Wimbledon this year due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The second place in the world for men Daniil Medvedev from Russia and the fourth number in the world for women Arina Sabalenka from Belarus are the highest ranked players who will be affected.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said it was responsible for “limiting Russia’s global influence by the strongest possible means”.
Wimbledon is held from June 27 to July 10.
“In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to reap any benefits from the participation of Russian or Belarusian players,” the AELTC said in a statement.
“It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to reject the participation of Russian and Belarusian players at Wimbledon.
Sabalenka reached the semifinals of last year’s tournament, while Medvedev, who was named one of the stars of the tie in the external relations of the warm-up event on the grass court in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands today, reached the fourth round.
Russia’s No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – who called for the war to end foreign relations earlier this year – and Belarus’ 18th-ranked Victoria Azarenka will also miss out.
The Russian Andrei Rublev is eighth in the men’s standings, and his compatriot Karen Khachanov is 26th.
Only players are banned, which means that coaches, judges and physiotherapists can participate in the tournament.
The Grass Tennis Association has also banned Russian or Belarusian players from playing in one of the UK’s grass tournaments.
All of them will still be able to compete in the French Open, which starts in May.
Players on both sides have the right to participate in the tennis tour, but not under their national flags.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the ban.
“Given that Russia is a strong tennis country and our athletes have the first places in the world rankings, the tournament itself would suffer from this ban,” he said.
“It is inadmissible for athletes to be again hostages of certain political prejudices, intrigues and hostile actions towards our country.
AELTC, which is organizing Wimbledon, consulted with the government in April on whether to allow players to compete.
“We acknowledge that this is difficult for those affected and will grieve for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime,” said AELTC President Ian Hewitt.
Given the importance of not allowing the use of sport to promote the Russian regime and our wider concern for public safety and the safety of players (including the family), we do not believe it is viable to continue on any be another basis for The Championships. ”
AELTC is also working to revoke television rights from companies broadcasting in Russia and Belarus.
Although the AELTC statement said that the decision could be overturned if “circumstances change significantly between now and June”, this is considered very unlikely.
A statement from the LTA said it was “important to do everything possible to support Ukraine at this time”.
“The LTA believes that tennis needs to join many other areas of sport and public life in order to send a clear signal to the Russian and Belarusian states that their actions are subject to international condemnation,” the statement said.
“The continuing participation of Russian and Belarusian citizens in events risks boosting these regimes when there are unprecedented international efforts to isolate them and sanction their actions.
The Minister for Sport of the United Kingdom, Nigel Huddleston, welcomed the “decisive actions” of AELTC and LTA.
“The United Kingdom has taken a leading role internationally to make it clear that President Putin must not be able to use the sport to legitimize Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine. While the withdrawal of individual athletes is a complex issue that will divide opinions, there is more reason to bet. “
Culture Secretary Nadine Doris added: “This decision means that Putin will not use the most iconic Grand Slam tennis tournaments to try to legitimize the horrors he is inflicting on the Ukrainian people. The right move.”
However, WTA chief Steve Simon told BBC Sport in March that he did not believe players on both sides should be banned from tournaments.
Earlier, Russia was banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billy Jean King titles after the country’s invasion of Ukraine, a military operation backed by Belarus.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Men’s Tennis Association (ATP) have terminated their combined competition, scheduled to take place in Moscow in October.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has also canceled its events in the country.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal”
Ukraine’s world number 25 Elina Svitolina issued a long statement Wednesday calling on tennis authorities to take a tougher stance against Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Svitolina took a break from sports to deal with her back problem and the emotional impact of the invasion.
She posted on social media, urging the ATP, WTA and ITF to ask Russian and Belarusian players if they support the war, military activities in Ukraine or the regimes of Russian and Belarusian presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
“If applicable, we demand that we exclude and ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in any competition,” she wrote.
“In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now.”
Olga Savchuk, who captained Ukraine in last week’s Billy Jean King Cup match against the United States, said Russian players should be banned from competing.
“This cannot be just a sanction against 90% of the Russian people and 10% no,” Savchuk told the New York Times.external-link
“It has to be even and I think it’s collective guilt.”
Former Ukrainian number 13 Alexander Dolgopolov thanked Wimbledon for “strengthening and setting an example for the world”.
“I believe that Russia must be isolated in all possible ways and the people of Russia must solve this problem,” he told BBC Sport.
Analysis
This is a decision that makes the All England Club and LTA stand out from the crowd.
Not in sports, in general, as athletics, badminton, canoeing and rowing have been banned by individual athletes from Russia and Belarus.
But in tennis, the initial lists for the French Open were published with these players, and neither the WTA nor the ATP Tour believe it is fair to prevent these people from continuing their careers.
There may be some movement from Roland Garros after the second round of Sunday’s French presidential election, but the approach in tennis so far has been to ban Russian teams but allow individuals to play – albeit with nationalities removed from the backgammon. ranking lists.
Many players have been happy with this position so far, but given the scale of what is happening in Ukraine and the mood of the British public, AELTC believes they have no alternative.
And this given the possibility of legal consequences. The LTA, for example, has contracts with the ATP and WTA for grass events to be held in venues such as Queen’s and Eastbourne in June.
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