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Russian and Belarusian players who speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “should be allowed” to compete at Wimbledon, says Elina Svitolina.
On Wednesday the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) banned players from the two countries from competing at this year’s tournament.
Governing bodies the ATP and WTA described the decision as “unfair”.
“We don’t want them banned completely,” Ukrainian Svitolina told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“If players don’t speak out against the Russian government then it is the right thing to ban them.
“We just want them to speak up, if they are with us and the rest of the world or the Russian government. This is for me the main point.
“If they didn’t choose, they didn’t vote for this government, then it’s fair they should be allowed to play and compete.”
Svitolina said she did not agree with the governing bodies’ reaction to Wimbledon’s decision, saying the organisations had not reacted “as quick as we wanted”.
On…
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