Tennis coach
Patrick Mouratoglou has admitted he was "shocked" by the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from
Wimbledon.
Wimbledon announced on Wednesday
that players from those two nations will not be allowed to compete at
the championships this year, due to the two countries' involvement in
the war on Ukraine and the potential fallout should they be drawn
against Ukrainian opponents.
The ban includes Russian men's world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and Belarusian women's world No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka.
Speaking to Tennis Majors, the noted coach said:
“Banning Russian and Belarusian players from playing at Wimbledon is a very shocking decision for me. Leave
the politics to the politicians. Of course, there is a war. Everyone is
against the war, including players from Russia and Belarus."
Mouratoglou further said:
"I understand the position of the Ukrainian players because there is war in their country, they have friends, family, who have been killed or who fear being killed tomorrow. I understand that they want very strong points from Russian and Belarusian players. Now, if you're in their shoes, Russians and Belarusians, they have their families living in Russia and by saying something like that, like condemning the government, they are potentially putting their own family in trouble. So, I think Russian players and Belarusian players have said a lot already!"