Wimbledon’s rash decision to exclude Russian tennis players from this iconic tournament has drawn a lot of criticism from all corners.
Novak Djokovic, who knows a thing or two about being on the receiving end of stupid decisions from governing tennis bodies, blasted the decision as “crazy.”
Related: Russian Tennis Stars Banned From Competing In Wimbledon
“I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy,” Djokovic said after winning a match in the Serbian Open on Wednesday. The result of politics interfering with sports is bad.”
It’s true!
Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick called this “social justice chaos” and suggested that athletes should not hold their countries responsible.
“I disagree wholeheartedly with many of the choices that are being made by China,” Travis said. I believe China commits genocide against Uyghurs. China should face serious consequences on a global level. It is not my belief that individual Chinese athletes should be barred from participating in American athletics.
Travis is on the right track. Nearly all Russian sports athletes have stated that they don’t support the Russian government’s actions in Ukraine. They also feel unfairly treated for not being involved. That standard is unacceptable for any country’s athlete.
Associate of Tennis Professionals, the main governing body of the sport, condemned the decision and said it was a poor example of how to deal with these types of situations going forward.
“We strongly condemn Russia’s reprehensible invasion of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people affected by the ongoing war,” the ATP said. Our sport prides itself on its fundamental principles of fairness and merit. Players compete individually to win their places in tournaments based upon the ATP Rankings. We believe that today’s unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year’s British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game.”
It is absurd that these discussions continue to take place months after the invasion started. This is a rare instance of the sports industry getting it wrong.
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