‘I Will Never Support War’ – Victoria Azarenka Left Disappointed With Wimbledon’s Decision to Ban Russian and Belarusian Players

It has been a turbulent time for the world amidst rising tensions in Eastern Europe. It has affected the sporting world too because of the ongoing conflict. Earlier this month, Wimbledon announced a massive decision for this year’s tournament. It took a decision that they will ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing at Wimbledon this year, affecting the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Victoria Azarenka.

This ruling by one of the premier tournaments on the tennis calendar has received mixed responses from across the tennis fraternity. While some backed this decision, others called out the tournament for its harsh decision. Recently, the former World Number 1, Victoria Azarenka, slammed Wimbledon’s decision to exempt Russian and Belarusian athletes from this year’s tournament.

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Victoria Azarenka criticizes Wimbledon’s decision

The Belarusian, who is a member of the WTA Player’s council, was disappointed with the Wimbledon’s ruling. She said, “I think there should be a reaction to that, that is all I want to say. If you are asking me if I agree with Wimbledon, or I see their reasoning after being on a personal call with them, I don’t see their reasoning.”

Further, she added, “It does not make sense, and it does not connect to what they are saying. I am not sure, I think it is a complicated issue, I think there are a lot of legalities that come with this type of decision. I will never support war, I will never support violence, I will never find any justifications for that.” 

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Further, Azarenka hasn’t had a great run in the tournaments this year, either, given her standards. Her best result this year has been a quarterfinal appearance at the Adelaide International 1 tournament. With Azarenka set to miss this year’s Wimbledon because of the tournament’s ruling, it has put a major blow to her hopes of entering the top-10 of the WTA rankings.