"Didn't have the support from rest of the tennis world": Former Wimbledon champion Bartoli believes they had no choice in ending ban

Wimbledon ended their ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes and former player Marion Bartoli thinks that they simply did not have a choice.

Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian athletes last year receiving heavy backlash from many sides. Plenty supported the decision as well but they weren't able to do it this year despite being willing to due to fines. The event was threatened by the tours with the cancellation of all LTA events which would have been a huge problem.

That is why Bartoli thinks they ultimately pulled back on any bans:

“As a member I received that news probably a bit earlier than the press. They were put into a situation where they just couldn’t have the whole LTA circuit in the balance, that was too much to handle. That would take away a lot of opportunities for British players to play in the grasscourt season, with the wildcards and the possibility to earn some points."

She added:

“I think probably because they were the only ones standing behind that idea, they were just left with no solution. They have tried their hardest but unfortunately they were left with no other options, it was just not possible for them to continue with the ban. Which is something I regret, obviously. But the WTA and the ATP, I am guessing, stands for the fact that every individual has the chance to compete, despite everything else, religion, nationality. Based on that you can’t just breach all these contracts, you can’t just breach all those rules."