- Russian tennis players will be banned from Wimbledon this year, it was confirmed Wednesday.
- That is partly driven by fears of the optics of a Royal presenting a Russian athlete with a trophy, the Telegraph reports.
- Daniil Medvedev would be one of the favorites to win the tournament if he was allowed to enter.
A ban on Russian tennis stars competing at Wimbledon this summer has been driven in part by fears that a member of the British royal family would have to present the trophy to a Russian athlete should one win the tournament, the Daily Telegraph reported.
After a significant period of speculation in recent weeks over the status of Russian tennis players at the London-based Grand Slam, Sportico reported Tuesday that the decision had been made to impose a blanket ban on all Russians wanting to compete in June.
On Wednesday, Wimbledon confirmed that this would be the case, publishing a statement in which it confirmed that players from Russia and Belarus will be barred from the tournament.
Soon after Sportico's initial report, The Daily Telegraph followed up, reporting Russian players won't be able to compete even if they do so under a neutral flag, or publicly disavow the actions of their president Vladimir Putin.
The British newspaper also reported that one of the key considerations in the upcoming ban on Russian athletes competing at Wimbledon is the optics of a royal trophy presentation should a Russian player win. This is a particular consideration in the men's draw, where world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev would be among the favorites to win the tournament should he enter, the Telegraph said.
Royal involvement in the Wimbledon trophy presentations is commonplace. For instance, just last year the Duchess of Cambridge was present at the prize-giving ceremony after Novak Djokovic won the title.
In 2019, she directly presented the trophy to Djokovic after his victory over Roger Federer in the final.
As the royal patron of the All England Club and a keen tennis fan, Kate Middleton is a frequent fixture at Wimbledon, as is fellow royal and cousin of the Queen, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Prince Edward was the president of the AELTC for more than 50 years, stepping down in 2021. Over the course of his tenure he frequently handed out trophies to Wimbledon winners, including in 2021 for the final time.
The Daily Telegraph had previously reported that Wimbledon was considering a ban on Russian athletes over fears that a Russian winning the tournament would act as a propaganda boost for Putin.
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