The 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina believes that the organizers of the Grand Slam tournament made the right decision by admitting tennis players from Russia and Belarus to the tournament this year. They will compete as neutral athletes.
Last year, Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam tournament that did not allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to participate. Organizers explained that Friday’s decision was “extremely difficult” and that they continue to “condemn the Russian invasion” of Ukraine.
Russian-born Elena Rybakina has been competing for Kazakhstan since 2018. She won Wimbledon last year but did not receive 2,000 points for her success. ATP and WTA decided to keep the tournament out of the ranking series due to the non-participation of neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus.
“They play in all tournaments, but not at Wimbledon. They do it without the flags of their countries, and in my opinion, this is the right decision”, said Elena Rybakina.
“Competitors from Russia and Belarus are prohibited from openly supporting the invasion and cannot receive financial support from the federations in their countries”, says the statement of Wimbledon organizers.
Two-time champion Petra Kvitova, who defeated Elena Rybakina in the final of the WTA 1000 Miami Open, objected to the decision. She and other tennis players are of the opinion that Russians and Belarusians should not be allowed to the Olympics in Paris.
“I really appreciate that at least they didn’t play last year”, said Petra Kvitova.
