Government spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question about the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament, reported by DailyExpertNews on Wednesday.
“It is unacceptable to make athletes victims of some kind of political prejudice, intrigue, hostile actions against our country. One can only regret this,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts and hosts the celebrated grand slam event, told DailyExpertNews, “We cannot confirm or deny at this time, but plan to make an announcement this afternoon.”
The information was confirmed to the newspaper by “a high-ranking international tennis official”, who spoke anonymously.
The officer was not authorized to speak on behalf of the AELTC, according to the NYT.
“Since Russia is a very strong tennis country after all, our tennis players are in the top of the world rankings, the competition itself will suffer from their removal,” Peskov added.
“I would like the boys to do everything they can not to lose form and not to lose their world tennis class.”
The organizers added that they planned to make a decision before the entry deadline in mid-May.
A ban on Russian players would prevent several high-ranking players from taking part in the iconic grand slam on grass.
Russia has five women in the top 40 of the WTA Tour rankings.
The AELTC’s decision would mark the first time that Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from participating in an elite tennis event.
Tennis governing bodies had banned Russia and Belarus from international team competitions after the invasion.
Individual players may participate in the ATP and WTA Tours, but not under their country’s name or flag.
Wimbledon, the third grand slam of the year, kicks off on Monday, June 27.
