Australian Open stands by decision to allow Russian and Belarusian players to play Grand Slam after calls from Ukrainian official to ban them

Australian Open won't be imposing any bans on Russian and Belarussian players despite some loud calls for the ban to happen.

The event won't be joining Wimbledon as an event that will ban players from those two countries despite some loud calls to do so. Wimbledon's decision was quite polarizing as it split the community with some supporting it and some heavily opposing it. Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia has loudly called for the ban to be imposed and is set to meet Tiley however reports indicate that the event will stand by its decision.

He 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.”

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Tennis Australia issued a statement on the matter:

"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.”

Heavy fines for Wimbledon probably did the trick to discourage any further bans.