MOSCOW, 31 Mar – Russian and Belarusian tennis players will have to sign a declaration of “neutrality” to participate in the Wimbledon tournament, reports Tennis Majors.

On Friday, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) announced the admission of Russian and Belarusian tennis players to participate in Wimbledon 2023 in neutral status, subject to several conditions. Players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to express support for the CBO during the tournament. Also, tennis players who receive state funding, including sponsorship from companies controlled or controlled by the authorities of Russia and Belarus, will not be allowed to Wimbledon.

In addition, the AELTC stated that, as a result of its engagement with the UK government, the organization has refined and developed a “declaration form” and developed “effective measures” to implement and enforce them. It was noted that this approach has been endorsed by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Other details were not specified.

According to the source, players, coaches and support teams from both Russia and Belarus will be required to sign such declarations of neutrality in order to participate in Wimbledon and other UK tournaments. The source did not disclose the contents of these documents.

Russians and Belarusians are allowed to ATP and WTA tournaments in a neutral status. In 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes were not allowed to participate in tournaments in Britain. In response, the ATP and WTA decided not to award Wimbledon ranking points, and also fined the UK Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for $1 million.