The All England Club has confirmed it is banning Russian and Belarussian players from competing at this year's Wimbledon tennis championships.
They've made their decision in light of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has been supported by Belarus.
It means that the current men's no.2, Daniil Medvedev, and three of the current women's top-20 will be absent from Wimbledon this year.
The ATP and WTA Tours have allowed Russian and Belarussian players to continue playing, albeit under neutral flags, since Russia began its aggression against Ukraine in February.
“We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime," said All England Club chair, Ian Hewitt.
"We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships.”
Hewitt adds that should the situation in Ukraine change between now and the Championships, then they will consider their options accordingly.
However, as things stand, reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, men's no.8 Andrey Rublev, women's no.4 Aryna Sabalenka, former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Viktoria Azarenka will sit out the third Grand Slam of the year.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
