Wimbledon organizers are having conversations with the British government about whether Russian tennis players -- such as No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvedev -- should be allowed to compete at the tournament this year if they don't distance themselves from President Vladimir Putin because of his country's invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking Tuesday to legislators in London about Wimbledon, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed. Many of us would be willing and able to compete as non-aligned, non-flag-bearing entities. But I think it needs to go beyond that. We need some potential assurances that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines.
The All England Club confirmed that discussions were ongoing with both U.K. government and tennis governing bodies. Russia is the reigning champion in both the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, but the International Tennis Federation announced Monday that the country would be replaced in the 2022 Finals of each by the highest-ranked losing semifinalist in 2021. For the Billie Jean King Cup, that is Australia; for the Davis Cup, it's Serbia.The tournament is scheduled to begin main-draw play on June 27.
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