US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, could be banned from Wimbledon, along with fellow Russian and Belarusian athletes, unless they provide “assurance” that they do not support Russian president Vladimir Putin amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said on Tuesday.
“Many countries have agreed that they will not allow representatives from Russia to compete. There are also visa issues as well. When it comes to individuals, that is more complex,” Huddleston said at a UK Parliament select committee meeting when asked about Medvedev competing at Wimbledon.
“Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed or enabled. We need some potential assurance that they are not supporters of Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines.”
Wimbledon will begin on June 27 and run through July 10 this year.
“My message is always the same — I want peace in the entire globe,” Medvedev, 26, said when asked about the fighting earlier this month.
Many athletes have numerous or dual citizenships, according to Huddleston, and would be willing to compete as “non-aligned, non-flag wearing entities.”
Players from Russia and Belarus are now permitted to compete on the ATP and WTA tours as neutral athletes, meaning they are not permitted to compete under the names or flags of their respective nations.
Meanwhile, WTA President Steve Simon has stated that he would not want players to be banned if they do not publicly challenge “authoritarian leadership policies.”
“You never know what the future holds,” Simon said on Tuesday to the BBC. “However, I can assure you that we have never barred athletes from participating in our tour because of political opinions taken by their leadership.”
“It would take something substantial to change that, but we have no idea where this is headed.” I strongly believe that individual athletes should not be penalized as a result of decisions made by an authoritarian government that is clearly doing bad, immoral things.”
Following the start of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine last month, the country was already barred from competing in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.