TWO All England Club officials defended during a news conference Tuesday the “intensely tough and agonizing decision” to bar players from Russia and Belarus from Wimbledon this year because of the invasion of Ukraine.
Citing the club’s “responsibility to play our part in limiting the possibility of Wimbledon being used to justify the harm being done to others by the Russian regime,” Chief Executive Sally Bolton said, “we believe that this decision is the only viable option for Wimbledon.”
As much as Bolton and All England Chairman Ian Hewitt touted Wimbledon’s return to “normal” this year — a word they used repeatedly, mainly with regard to COVID-19, during a briefing about a tournament that begins June 27 — the questions and answers about the historic Russia policy dominated Tuesday’s session with the media.
Among the prominent players affected by the ban announced last week are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently
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