John Isner calls for change in 'ridiculous' decision in tennis

Former American tennis player John Isner has made an interesting comment about Russian players not being allowed to use their flag in the sport. Russian players have been penalised for the action of their government which started the invasion of Ukraine back in the early part of 2022. On the other hand, Belarus is known to be a close ally of Russia and is perceived to be involved in the conflict, directly or indirectly.

Since the armed conflict began in the first quarter of 2022, thousands have lost their lives in both countries, and the war is still going on. The conflict has become the cause of tension between different countries as well. In December 2022, the Olympic Summit was organised to take action on the future of Russian and Belarusian athletes taking part in different events under the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“The Olympic Summit analysed in detail the impact of the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the statement said. “The vast majority of the participants agreed that the sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, as those responsible for this blatant breach of the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter, must remain firmly in place. These sanctions include

1)       No international sports events being organised or supported by an International Federation (IF) or National Olympic Committee (NOC) in Russia or Belarus.

2)      No flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications of these countries being displayed at any sports event or meeting.

3)      As a reminder, the sanctions also include the unprecedented decision by the IOC to withdraw the Olympic Orders from the President of the Russian Federation and from the Deputy Prime Minister.”

The same year, Wimbledon became the first major event where the organisers decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the mega-event. The decision comes after UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston, while speaking in the parliamentary committee, stated that no players playing under the Russian flag should be allowed to play at Wimbledon.

The ban led to numerous top-100 players not being able to take part in the competition in 2022 including former women’s world number one Victoria Azarenka, current world number one Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova and Andrey Rublev.

The ban was lifted in 2023, but the players were forced to play under the neutral flag. "We continue to condemn totally Russia's illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine," said the All England Club (AELTC) chairman Ian Hewitt in a statement back then. "This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted. It is our view that, considering all factors, these are the most appropriate arrangements for The Championships for this year. If circumstances change materially between now and the commencement of The Championships, we will consider and respond accordingly.”

The decision received mixed feedback from within the tennis community and the government circles. The decision to ban players from taking part in Wimbledon was criticised by ATP and WTA, who threatened to cancel LTA’s membership. On the other hand, the decision to revoke the ban 12 months later received widespread criticism from the politicians in the UK but was appreciated by ATP and WTA, who demanded sports to be separated from politics.

Former American player Isner becomes the first high-profile name in the world of tennis who have demanded Russian players to get their flags back. The 40-year-old, who retired from professional tennis in 2023 and finished his career with 16 titles to his name, in a post on his social media platform X, stated that the whole thing is now becoming a ‘bit ridiculous’. “Can the Russian tennis players get their flag back? Bit ridiculous now,” he wrote.