Rafael Nadal rated this Sunday “unfair” decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian tennis players from Wimbledon. The Spaniard, winner of 21 Grand Slam titles, believes that the All England Club chose “the most drastic option”.
Wimbledon was widely criticized by the ATP and the WTA, as well as by stars like Nadal himself or Novak Djokovicfor penalizing tennis players due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rafa at the Magic Box in Madrid.
This exclusion leaves great rackets, such as the Russian, 2nd in the world ranking, Daniil Medvedev, unable to participate in the Grand Slam on the London lawn.as well as last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
“It’s unfair to my teammates,” Nadal said. “They are not to blame for what is happening with the war. I’m sorry for them. I wish it wasn’t like that, but in the end we know that this is what it is”, added the Majorcan tennis player.
Nadal is not convinced of the decision made. (EFE)
Nadal, who returns to the competition after six weeks out due to a rib injury, trusts the involvement of the tennis world so that there is a reverse gear in the decision made by Wimbledon. “When a government puts in place some measures, they must be followed, in this case the government made a recommendation, and Wimbledon decided to impose the most drastic option without being forced to take it“, he indicated.
Novak Djokovic, who had described the decision as “crazy”, declared this Sunday that he maintains his position. “I think it’s unfair,” reaffirmed the # 1 in the world.
