Australian Open doubles down on decision to let Russians play Slam after Wimbledon ban
Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to play at this month's Australian Open under a neutral flag after they were banned from competing at Wimbledon last year
Organisers of the Australian Open have doubled down on their decision to allow players from Russia and Belarus to play at their event. Last year, Wimbledon banned athletes from both countries from competing at SW19 - and Ukraine's ambassador in Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko wants organisers at Melbourne Park to do the same.
Tennis' governing bodies the ITF, WTA and ATP have agreed that Russian and Belarusian athletes can still compete at events under a neutral flag while the war in Ukraine continues. However, Wimbledon organisers went against that advice last year and were fined by the WTA and ATP Tours, who also removed ranking points from the Grand Slam.
Australian Open organisers look set to follow the policy from the governing bodies and allow the likes of former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev to compete at their tournament starting on January 16. A statement from Tennis Australia doubled down on their intention to let athletes from both countries compete.
It said: "Players from Russia and Belarus are only able to compete in international tennis events as individuals – and without flags or country recognition – which will be the case for Australian Open 2023. Tennis Australia continues to provide support to Ukraine and its community and players, particularly through the global Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which includes a charity event prior to the Australian Open.”
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic makes clear statement over Wimbledon Russia ban with Daniil Medvedev claim
However, the Ukraine Embassy in Australia want their home tournament to take a tough stance against Russian athletes amid the ongoing war. Myroshnychenko said: "It doesn’t matter what flag Russian Federation players compete under. It has Ukrainian blood on it.
"Russian athletes cannot participate in any international competitions, especially in the democratic countries.” Myroshnychenko has branded the tournament's current position as unprincipled’ and The Age newspaper have reported that he wants a meeting with Australian Open director Craig Tiley to discuss the matter.
DON'T MISS:
Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka slammed the decision to ban players from last year's Wimbledon stating that the move 'changed nothing' in Ukraine. She told The Age that politics and sport shouldn't be mixed.
She added: “This is really terrible because no one supports war – no one. I’m just really disappointed sport is somehow in politics. We’re just athletes playing their sport. That’s it. We’re not about politics. If all of us could do something, we would do it, but we have zero control."