‘Tennis Must Do All It Can to Stand With the People of Ukraine’ – Norway Sweden Finland and Iceland Back Wimbledon’s Decision to Ban Russian and Belarusian Athletes

Tennis has had turbulent times this season. The sport didn’t have a great start to the year, with off-court controversies taking center stage before the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic’s visa controversy cast a shadow on the Grand Slam Down Under.

Earlier this month, Wimbledon announced a huge decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from this year’s tournament. This announcement came on the back of rising geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. This decision has caused a severe blow to many top players in the world, like Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, and others.

While some criticized this decision, others were in favor of the ban on Russian and Belarusian players. The likes of Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King, and Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, spoke strongly against this ruling. However, Wimbledon has received the backing of four nations recently.

DIVE DEEPER: ‘It’s Beyond Bizarre’ – Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach Rick Macci Says Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock Was Very Similar to King Richard and Venus Williams’ Controversial Video

Tennis associations of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland issue a joint statement in support of Wimbledon’s decision

The four countries have spoken in support of Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament. Further, releasing a joint statement, they said, “We support the position the LTA & AELTC have taken regarding Russian and Belarusian players competing in events in GB. In these exceptional times, tennis must do all it can to stand with the people of Ukraine against the hostility of the Russian and Belarusian states.”

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic voiced strongly against this decision taken by Wimbledon. During the recently concluded Serbia Open, he said, “I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war. I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans we have had many wars in recent history. However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.”

While Medvedev was already having an inconsistent start to this season, this ruling puts a further blow to him. Earlier this year, he reached the top spot in the ATP rankings before shortly losing it to Novak Djokovic.

WATCH THIS STORY: The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis

His hopes of regaining the Number 1 ranking have been put in limbo after he is set to miss Wimbledon this season. Additionally, his recent injury setback hasn’t helped his cause either, after missing the Monte-Carlo Masters. Further, he faces a race against time to get back to full fitness for the French Open.