KillerCrocodile:
The UK-based tennis tournament announced the ban in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has called a ban on Russian and Belarusian players competing at Wimbledon “crazy”.

His critique on Thursday came a day after the oldest tennis tournament in the world announced the measure, in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wimbledon, which is based in the United Kingdom, became the first tennis tournament to prevent individual athletes from the two countries from competing amid the continuing conflict.

Speaking to reporters at the Serbia Open, Djokovic said he “cannot support the decision of Wimbledon”.

“I think it’s crazy,” he added. “When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.”

He added, however, he will “always condemn war, I will never support war, being myself a child of war … I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia, we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans, we have had many wars in recent history.”

The ban means world number two Daniil Medvedev from Russia and women’s fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will not participate in the June 27-July 10 competition.

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, said on Wednesday, “We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime.”

“The Belarusian Tennis Federation categorically condemns the decision taken by the organisers of Wimbledon to suspend Belarusian and Russian tennis players,” it said in a statement.

“Such destructive actions in no way contribute to the resolution of conflicts, but only incite hatred and intolerance on a national basis.”

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the breakaway players’ body launched by Djokovic in 2020, said it was committed to protecting the tennis community having heard the experiences of individuals impacted by the war.

“As major competitions throughout our sport contemplate banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, we have to reflect and understand that many of them have lost their freedom of choice and expression, due to the laws being enforced by the Russian and Belarus Federations,” the PTPA said in a statement.

“Speaking against Russian or Belarus or denouncing the invasion may result in imprisonment.”

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina said Russian and Belarusian players who denounce Moscow’s invasion of her country should be allowed to participate at Wimbledon.

Medvedev made a plea for peace on Twitter in February while his compatriot Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on the lens of a TV camera on his way to winning the Dubai title.

Sport meets geopolitics

Djokovic has not shied away from controversy during his professional career, most recently during a public standoff with Australian officials over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The tennis player was also widely criticised in September of 2021 for dining with Milan Jolovic, a former commander of the notorious Drina Wolves paramilitary unit, which participated in the genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jolovic is celebrated by many Serbs for saving the life of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic during the war in Bosnia in July 1993, when Serb forces came across the Bosnian army in the Bjelasnica area just outside Sarajevo and had their tank destroyed.

With his unit, Jolovic managed to save Mladic and he was subsequently promoted to a higher rank.

A UN court in 2017 found Mladic guilty of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Before the dinner, Djokovic was also seen singing at a wedding in Bosnia with Bosnia’s Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, a well-known genocide denier who regularly advocates for the secession of Bosnia’s Serb-run entity, Republika Srpska, from the country.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2022/4/21/djokovic-calls-ban-on-russian-tennis-players-at-wimbledon-crazy

abobote:
Djokovic has become a rebel lately.
His opinion though

seunny4lif:
Why don’t they ban USA, UK and France for the destruction of Libya, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Syria.
I said this war will open up the world to see real life.

Lordofalmajiri:
nairaland key board warrior telling a world tennis champion to shut up , typing comfortably from his " face me I slap you one bedroom" wonderful

TobiAbuja:
Unfortunately with a warmongering maniac as their leader, there is little room for recourse.

seunny4lif:
Why don’t they ban USA, UK and France for the destruction of Libya, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Syria.
I said this war will open up the world to see real life.

Saidfx:


God only guide does who want to see or hear. People follow trending news with closed eyes and mind. The same USA and Britain that stand for liberalism are the main hypocrites of the world. It is now Russophobia not Islamophobia again, Abi? Imagine the same USa that wanted to change it for Cuba and still with red eyes with her till today for wanting to bring Russia to help with nuclear enrichments. This goes for them Elizabeth people too, that own an island in Argentina which no Argentine can trespass or near..Bush and Blair stylishly invaded Iraq and the whole world did not see any meaning to it, except few that understand the Zionist agenda.

For those set of people on NL that swallows the lies of the west and believe Russia is loosing the war by watching the BBC's CNN and Fox are doing so at thier own peril. Russia warned the NATO for more than 8yrs and they taught Putin was only making empty threats. The USA Congress members are cashing out big now on Ukraine and they realeae 800M dollars weekly for Ukraine support. The Chinese and Russians are not reliable people that you use sanctions to talk to. Russian army is not in Ukraine, but in reserves getting ready for USA NATO full confrontation. Let them continue deceiving themselves. Russophobia indeed!

posty56:
w because the United States are hypocrites

Lordofalmajiri:
nairaland key board warrior telling a world tennis champion to shut up , typing comfortably from his " face me I slap you one bedroom" wonderful

Unaya:
These are the unfortunate consequences of having a brute as a leader. Everyone gets to feel the heat with him

Lordofalmajiri:
nairaland key board warrior telling a world tennis champion to shut up , typing comfortably from his " face me I slap you one bedroom" wonderful

Focusmind:


I like him for that - He has always been against the establishment and mainstream positions on things.

Banning those players is not the best thing to do. Those Russian players had individually condemned the invasion and playing with their Ukrainian counterpart should have been an opportunity to promote unity and peace.

But as usual, everybody would wants to pander to the mood of the rightist groups and mainstream public opinions. Wimbledon organizers are no exception.

nony43:
It is for their safety. Some countries that are angry with Russia can take it out on the athletes.

homealone00:

This is a big lie and people like you should not be allow to spread fake news, for sure I know Russia did not invade Syria as they were been invited by the Syrian president unlike the USA.... if one of the country on your list is a lie there is high probability that you are a serial liar and everything is a lie.

sweetjohn:
The USA will not fall into this your nonsense blackmail. USA will continue to dealt with all Islamic terrorists countries to keep the world safe

OGcartel:


Be guided when thinking the USA is fighting Islam because of terrorism,they also don't give a Bleep about you or the entire Black Africa race.they have always shown it to you that you are inferior to them and you will always see them as your God as long as you don't question their doings.. thinking they are fighting terrorism is just the picture they always paint to you but if you study and seek knowledge unorthodoxly, you will realize all they want is power,control, influence and colonization of the whole world
It's okay if you gained world power by development and progressiveness of your country but why going extra oppressing underdeveloped countries and taking advantage of passive people because they welcomed you to their lands with both hands the same way you deny them visa to yours

Megatrix:

Was it right what the US did in Libya and Iraq? Why were their athletes not punished for it?

BluntTheApostle:
The hypocrisy is what riles me.

Just like Putin said, "The West have a set of standards for themselves, and another for the rest of the world"

They were the ones that said sports should never mix with politics, and have gone as far as forbid statements with political undertones from sports. They are still the same ones breaking their own rules.

Lordofalmajiri:
nairaland key board warrior telling a world tennis champion to shut up , typing comfortably from his " face me I slap you one bedroom" wonderful

KillerCrocodile:
The UK-based tennis tournament announced the ban in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has called a ban on Russian and Belarusian players competing at Wimbledon “crazy”.

His critique on Thursday came a day after the oldest tennis tournament in the world announced the measure, in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wimbledon, which is based in the United Kingdom, became the first tennis tournament to prevent individual athletes from the two countries from competing amid the continuing conflict.

Speaking to reporters at the Serbia Open, Djokovic said he “cannot support the decision of Wimbledon”.

“I think it’s crazy,” he added. “When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.”

He added, however, he will “always condemn war, I will never support war, being myself a child of war … I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia, we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans, we have had many wars in recent history.”

The ban means world number two Daniil Medvedev from Russia and women’s fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will not participate in the June 27-July 10 competition.

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, said on Wednesday, “We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime.”

“The Belarusian Tennis Federation categorically condemns the decision taken by the organisers of Wimbledon to suspend Belarusian and Russian tennis players,” it said in a statement.

“Such destructive actions in no way contribute to the resolution of conflicts, but only incite hatred and intolerance on a national basis.”

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the breakaway players’ body launched by Djokovic in 2020, said it was committed to protecting the tennis community having heard the experiences of individuals impacted by the war.

“As major competitions throughout our sport contemplate banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, we have to reflect and understand that many of them have lost their freedom of choice and expression, due to the laws being enforced by the Russian and Belarus Federations,” the PTPA said in a statement.

“Speaking against Russian or Belarus or denouncing the invasion may result in imprisonment.”

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina said Russian and Belarusian players who denounce Moscow’s invasion of her country should be allowed to participate at Wimbledon.

Medvedev made a plea for peace on Twitter in February while his compatriot Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on the lens of a TV camera on his way to winning the Dubai title.

Sport meets geopolitics

Djokovic has not shied away from controversy during his professional career, most recently during a public standoff with Australian officials over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The tennis player was also widely criticised in September of 2021 for dining with Milan Jolovic, a former commander of the notorious Drina Wolves paramilitary unit, which participated in the genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jolovic is celebrated by many Serbs for saving the life of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic during the war in Bosnia in July 1993, when Serb forces came across the Bosnian army in the Bjelasnica area just outside Sarajevo and had their tank destroyed.

With his unit, Jolovic managed to save Mladic and he was subsequently promoted to a higher rank.

A UN court in 2017 found Mladic guilty of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Before the dinner, Djokovic was also seen singing at a wedding in Bosnia with Bosnia’s Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, a well-known genocide denier who regularly advocates for the secession of Bosnia’s Serb-run entity, Republika Srpska, from the country.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2022/4/21/djokovic-calls-ban-on-russian-tennis-players-at-wimbledon-crazy