John McEnroe, in an interview with Eurosport, focused on the possible confirmation of the ban for Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon 2023.
Former US legend explained: “Obviously everything that is happening during the war is horrible and people deal with this situation differently. Last year I opposed the Wimbledon decision. Again this year I would not agree. I don’t know what they will decide to do.
It’s a situation that nobody wants. So hopefully something will change and they will allow tennis players to play. It happens that in our sport some of the best tennis players come from Russia and Belarus. They shouldn’t be stung for something they don’t deal with.”
McEnroe’s words are right in some point of views. Athletes are not responsible for the choices of their governments. Preventing an athlete from taking part in such a prestigious event due to the choices of the political leaders of their countries is perhaps not the right direction. Australian Open 2023 way could be the right way. That is, to have athletes play, representing themselves, not their country.
A declaration that met with the firm opposition of the president of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee Guttsait: “The International Olympic Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to allow everyone to play in individual competitions. Governments don’t have to decide which athletes can participate and which cannot.
For the entire Ukrainian sports community, this is a matter of principle. This idea is supported by our president. Some of the international federations are outraged by the efforts being made by the IOC to promote the return of Russians and Belarusians. We have reached out to all international organizations.”
What happened last season
The organizers of the Wimbledon tournament, following the hard line taken by the British government, have created one of the most controversial moments of last season. The All England Club caused the whole sports world to discuss and decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian tennis players from the third Slam of 2022.
A choice that could be confirmed again this year despite the fact that the other three Majors have allowed the aforementioned tennis players to compete albeit under neutral banners. According to the latest rumors launched by the newspaper The Telegraph, in fact, the organizers of the London Grand Slam are constantly evaluating the situation together with the government.
Photo Credits: www.sportworldnews.org
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