The organizers of the grand slam tournament decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year's event after the regime of Putin was prevented from getting any benefits from the participation of the players.
During the third day of the Serbia Open, Laslo Djere of Serbia was defeated by Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
The men's World No. 1 player said he couldn't support the decision made by the Wimbledon organizers.
As a child of war, the Serbian tennis star said he will always condemn war.
When politics interfere with sport, the result is not good.
The ban means that one of the key challengers to the crown, World No. 2, will not be allowed to participate.
In a statement announcing the decision on Wednesday, the All England Lawn Tennis Club said it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to benefit from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players.
Being a child of war, I know how much emotional trauma war leaves. We all know what happened in 1999. We have had many wars in the Balkans.
The Wimbledon organizers said they made the decision after reviewing guidance issued to sporting bodies by the British government. The ban will affect high-profile players such as Russia's Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Other key players who will not be at the tournament are the eighth-ranked men's player from Russia and the women's player from Russia. Wimbledon is the first major tennis event to ban the participation of players from these countries, and it's unclear if any of the other three Grand Slams will follow suit. Outside of Wimbledon, Russian tennis players have been allowed to play in tournaments on the men's and women's tours, but not under their national flags.
There are rules that exclude players from grand slam events. The World No. 1 player was deported from the host country of the Australian Open after failing to meet vaccine requirements.
The ban on Russian and Belarusian players at Wimbledon was a big deal.
Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
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