The removal of Russians and Belarusians from all tournaments held in the UK, including Wimbledon, remains one of the main topics of discussion in the world of tennis.
The decision, which was strongly condemned by many athletes, was made last week.
Only a few days later, the head of the All England Tennis Club (AELTC), Ian Hewitt, explained why such a controversial verdict was issued.
He named two main reasons.
First, the possible success of representatives of countries in one of the most popular competitions can be used by the "Russian regime's propaganda machine."
According to the functionary, the British authorities issued instructions to the organizers in order to limit the influence of Russia.
The second concerns the safety of participants from these states.
Allegedly, actions to limit the rights of tennis players can pose a threat to the safety of both themselves and the families of athletes.
Hewitt expressed regret that this decision hit many people, but assured that in the current situation there was simply no reasonable alternative.
At the same time, he once again noted that the organizers were forced to act in accordance with the position voiced by the government.
Meanwhile, while foreign tennis players support colleagues from Russia and Belarus, four national federations immediately welcomed the restrictions of the LTA and AELTC.
Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland made a joint statement.
According to the organizations, the world of tennis should do everything possible to "confront the hostility" of the two countries.
And in Norway a little earlier they went even further and offered to repeat the example of Great Britain to the main organizations - ATP, WTA and ITF.
They assured that this would help end the conflict in Ukraine, although they called the imposition of sanctions against individual athletes a difficult decision.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that the tournaments held in the UK will remain the only ones where the Russians will not be able to play.
ATP and WTA condemned the imposition of such restrictions and in early March they allowed domestic athletes to enter the court in a neutral status.
They were forbidden to take part only in team events in which national teams compete.
This, apparently, was not satisfied everywhere.
For example, the arrival of Russians and Belarusians to the Masters in Rome remains in question.
The Italian Open starts on May 9th and ends on May 15th.
Last year, Andrei Rublev reached the quarterfinals of the men's competition.
According to media reports, the country's authorities are forcing the organizers to impose sanctions on the athletes.
In particular, Prime Minister Mario Draghi allegedly insists on this personally.
A set of legal measures is being considered, which includes a ban on entry or an order by which individual tennis players will not be allowed to play in tournaments in the Apennines.
The head of the National Olympic Committee of Italy, Giovanni Malago, has already spoken out publicly for this.
He recalled that the IOC recommended that all sports federations not invite Russians and Belarusians, and he should be heeded, since even Wimbledon, organized by a private club, did this.
Malago also stressed that the final verdict will remain with the Italian government.
And the newspaper The Times does not exclude that the corresponding restrictions will be introduced at the Roland Garros, which starts at the end of May.
Allegedly, after the end of the presidential elections in the country, the organizers risk being under political pressure.
In Russia, regular calls to remove tennis players were met with indignation.
So, the honored coach Vladimir Kamelzon called Hewitt's explanation far-fetched.
In his opinion, it cannot be ruled out that domestic athletes will not be allowed into the US Open either.
“They don't want to hear us and blow their own tune... I remain a supporter of the fact that sport should be out of politics... And security... That's what the tournament is for, to follow it.
If our athletes do not perform at Wimbledon, then they will not be allowed in the USA either.
I don't expect them to be able to play at the US Open.
If the British win this battle, this will be a sign that the same thing will happen in America, ”the Championship quotes the specialist.
Andrei Olkhovsky, two-time Grand Slam champion in mixed doubles, fully agreed with him.
He also fears that the Wimbledon story could set a precedent.
At the same time, the expert urged not to give up, but to fight for the rights of the players.
“In my opinion, not actions from one athlete should follow, but class action lawsuits.
ATP and WTA just spoke out, it's their job.
They must defend the interests of the players, but again, how?
I think they should put some kind of ultimatums to the organizers of the tournaments, but they do nothing, ”complained Olkhovsky.
As for the Russian tennis players themselves, they prefer not to focus on the negative, but continue to train hard.
So, Rublev, who won the tournament in Belgrade at the weekend, announced his desire to go to the competition in Halle if he could not start at Wimbledon.
“So far, the team and I have not talked about this topic.
As far as I know, this issue will be discussed further in the near future.
But if nothing changes, I would not want to completely abandon the herbal series.
I'll probably go to Galle and maybe somewhere else.
And immediately after the end of Wimbledon, I will return to the ATP tournaments on other surfaces, ”Rublev said in an interview with Kommersant.
At the same time, the eighth racket of the planet called unexpected support from foreign colleagues.
“Tennis is my whole life.
It's nice that the players and leaders of the ATP understand this.
In relation to other players, I would do the same, ”added the athlete.
In turn, Daria Kasatkina, although she admitted that she was extremely disappointed with the introduction of restrictions by the LTA and AELTC, she emphasized that more important things are happening in the world now.
At the same time, according to her, the attitude towards the Russians on the tour has not changed in any way.