Russian and Belarusian Tennis Players Sign Declaration of Neutrality to Play at Wimbledon 2023

Russian and Belarusian tennis players signed a declaration of neutrality to play at Wimbledon 2023. About this on April 25 writes Reuters with reference to the executive director of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), the organizer of Wimbledon, Sally Bolton. The main point of the declaration is the rejection of public statements supporting the special operation in Ukraine.

“Once we announced our decision, the players were able to sign the declarations, and they can do so until the deadline for applications. I won’t share the details of who has already done this, but a number of players have already signed the document. We listened to the feedback from the athletes over the past year and they said they wanted to be able to sign the declaration. They fully understand what they are signing up for,” Bolton said.

In April 2022, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) banned Russian and Belarusian tennis players from participating in Wimbledon due to the situation in Ukraine. This resulted in fines from the men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) tennis associations and the loss of Wimbledon ranking points. The Lawn Tennis Association of Great Britain (LTA) may also be suspended from holding ATP and WTA tournaments in the event of a repeated ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian tennis players.

Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season, will take place this year from 3 to 16 July.