OFFICIAL: Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will be able to play at Wimbledon 2023

Wimbledon organizers announced that this year tennis players from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus will be able to play in the Grand Slam turf tournament.

We aim to accept applications from Russian and Belarusian players, provided they act as “neutral” athletes and comply with the relevant conditions. They prohibit various expressions of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and prohibit the participation of players receiving funding from the states of Russia and/or Belarus (including sponsorship from companies controlled or controlled by those states).

The conditions were reportedly carefully developed based on a constructive dialogue between the UK government, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and international tennis organisations.

Russian and Belarusian players and their teams will have to sign a “declaration of neutrality”, which will be checked and provided by rounds.

“All things considered, we believe this is the most appropriate setup for Wimbledon this year. If conditions change significantly from now until the start of the championship, we will evaluate and respond accordingly,” said All England Club president Ian Hewitt.

Last year, the British refused to allow athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to their tournaments, where the men’s and women’s rounds deprived Wimbledon of rating points and threatened to de-license tournaments in England if the ban was not lifted. LTA was also fined £1.5m.

Wimbledon 2023 will take place from July 3-16.