"I'm sorry for them. It's unfair" - Nadal on Wimbledon ban

Rafael Nadal has criticised the decision by the All England Club (AELTC) and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to ban Russian and Belarusian players from all grass-court events in the United Kingdom.

Players from Russia and Belarus are able to compete as individuals at ATP, WTA and ITF events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, but their countries’ flags and anthems are banned. However, AELTC and LTA went a step further in April as they decided to ban players from the two countries including world number two Daniil Medvedev.

The decision has been criticised by world No 1 Novak Djokovic and tennis great Martina Navratilova and Nadal has added his criticism as well. He said:

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“It’s unfair for my Russian colleagues. In that sense it’s not their fault what’s happening in this moment with the war. I’m sorry for them. I wish it was not this way, but at the end of the day we know that this is what we have.”

He further said:

“As a fellow player, what can I say? I feel sorry for them. I wish this was not the case. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks and let’s see if we as players need to take a stand. There is something wrong.”