Wimbledon, the one and only Grand Slam played on grass, will be running between the 27th of June and the 10th of July in London. As a rule, during this iconic event of the tennis calendar, there is a 20% increase in the number of broken windows all over the UK because young tennis players want to emulate their favorite players.
Tickets
Tennis fans still have a chance to get the tickets for the biggest Grand Slam, with prices ranging from £515 (No. 1 Court Various Doubles) to £4170 (Centre Court Men's Final). There will be no more tickets left soon, so waiting for the next payday is the same as saying goodbye to seeing tennis history made this year. Some tennis fans might consider getting a fast loan if they are short on funds.
To find available loan options, they can take advantage of money lending platforms like MoneyAsap. Interest rates typically vary based on the credit score of the borrower. Repayment of the borrowed money before the loan maturity date is critical to ensure your credit history stays clean.
The Unprecedented
As evidence of atrocities committed by Russian militaries in Ukraine keeps mounting, Wimbledon has decided that letting Russians and Belarusian players compete in a neutral capacity isn't sufficient anymore. If they are allowed to compete, the Russian audience will take it as a message that invading a sovereign country and killing tens of thousands of civilians is something that Russia can get away with.
Politics and sport have always intersected in many ways. When Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February, the sporting community across the globe spoke against the war. Russia was stripped of some major upcoming sporting events. However, individual Russian and Belarusian athletes (with some exceptions) can still compete for the trophies in most international sports tournaments without the right to display any national symbols. That's why Wimbledon's outright refusal to approve entries from Russian and Belarusian players sparked a controversy.
The Response From Other Players
The ban is quite unpopular with the ATP and WTA Tours and some renowned tennis athletes, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova, and Billie Jean King. They all say that individual players shouldn't be held responsible for what is happening in Ukraine. Even Elina Svitolina, a Ukrainian tennis player, expressed that Russian athletes should be allowed to compete provided they unequivocally admit that they denounce the Russian invasion.
When it comes to Serbian tennis player Novack Jockovich, it might be more than pure solidarity with other tennis athletes. Last year, he hit the headlines after dining with Milan Jolovic, a notorious paramilitary unit commander who committed the genocide against Bosniaks. Serbia has been a close ally with Russia for hundreds of years, and it seems to be supporting the Kremlin regime even now.
Fair or Not?
Even though the ban seems unfair, the state crimes committed on the Third Reich scale cannot be detached from individual citizens. Individual players should be liable for what the Russian army does in their name. Their victories, if any, would be exploited by the Kremlin to get the invasion validated, just like pro-Nazi propagandists in pre-war Germany did.
One more reason for the ban is that the Slam's organizers don't want to be at odds with the UK government and, particularly, Boris Johnson. The latter keeps showing his unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.
Who Will Be Affected?
Daniil Medvedev (ranked World # 2) and Andrey Rublev (ranked World # 8) will not be able to compete on the men's side. Their absence might significantly change the leaderboard. As for the women's side, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (World # 11) and Daria Kasatkina (World # 23) will have to take a break from Wimbledon this summer.
What About Other Slams?
The French Open, which will run from the 22nd of May to the 5th of June, hasn't followed suit. They will allow the athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the tournament under a regime of strict neutrality.
Additionally, the US Open, which will see tennis history made from the 29th of August to the 11th of September, hasn't been decided yet how to treat these players.
Obviously, the Wimbledon ban alone can't force Putin to end the war in Ukraine and give back all the occupied territories. Nobody expects that. However, the ban is an essential addition to the long list of sanctions imposed on Russia, which could make the Kremlin dictator change his political course in the long run.
Excluding Russian players will send the message to the world that Russia has lost its international prestige and is turning into an outcast. The word “rashism” will soon be added to major dictionaries while Russian athletes get used to the new reality where they are no longer welcome.
