April 05, (THEWILL) – The All England Club (AELTC), appears to be considering banning Daniil Medvedev from this year’s Wimbledon.
This is possible for the simple reason that the All-England Club’s self-governing structure allows them more freedom to act and to impose bans on players without fear of legal ramifications.
THEWILL recalls that in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete but without their national flags or anthems.
AELTC’s position permits it to choose who to admit, but the tours may face legal action if it was determined that their actions were unreasonable and had deprived players the opportunity to earn a living through no fault of their own.
The AELTC is expected to make a decision in the next few weeks because the deadline for entry into Wimbledon is in mid-May.
Medvedev, on the other hand, may even be unable to attend after announcing over the weekend that he would be undergoing surgery for a hernia problem.
Still, Medvedev could be barred from Wimbledon unless he gives “assurances” that he does not support Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston, who said in March that the government is in talks with the AELTC about their stance for Wimbledon, which begins on June 27.
According to Huddleston: “We wish to get assurance in a written declaration that they are not receiving money from Putin, Russia or Belarus [and] that they will not be making supportive comments of Putin, Russia or Belarus.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
