‘It Was Never About the Money’ – Ukrainian Tennis Star Adds Sole Voice to Wimbledon’s Harsh Move on Russian Players

The situation between Russia and Ukraine still remains tense. After the conflict, several countries placed many sanctions on Russia, even in sports. The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) were some of the few organizations in tennis to place a ban on Russian and Belarusian players. The move meant that players from Russia and Belarus wouldn’t be allowed to play in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Ukrainian players hope that the two associations will hold up the restrictions this year as well. Sergiy Stakhovsky is one of the few players who hopes for the continuation of the ban.

Sergiy Stakhovsky on “special” Wimbledon

The Ukranian player Sergiy Stakhovsky recently spoke his mind. The former world number 31 talked about his hopes that the ban enforced by Wimbledon last year will persist. He recently spoke to the Express on the extension of the prohibition on Russian and Belarusian players in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.

The player, who is serving in the Ukranian defense, said that nothing has changed for the embargo to be lifted and that Wimbledon unfortunately didn’t find any support with the organizers of other Major events. “Unfortunately Wimbledon didn’t find any support in any of the other Slams but I guess that is what makes Wimbledon special. Nothing has changed in a significant way to allow them to compete.”

His words come after the news of the AELTC holding a discussion on continuing the ban on the players from the two countries. Stakhovsky further urged that Wimbledon was special. He stated that the tournament was about the prestige. The tournament stood for values and tradition and it was never about the prize money.

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“It was never about the money. Wimbledon is about different values and they always stood out.” Stakhovsky told the paper.

Will SW19 lose its ranking points again?

After their decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus last year, the WTA and the ATP responded by taking away ranking points from the grass-court Grand Slam in 2022. The choice to persist the embargo could lead to serious consequences like the license for the tournament being terminated, according to the ATP.

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In 2022, the AELTC expressed deep disappointment with the two committees. They wanted to establish that the fame gained by players from their countries could lead to propaganda by the countries to further their stance. AELTC is in the process of deciding whether to lift the ban or not. Their choice will surely lead to stark changes in the tennis world.