The Roland Garros tournament accepted that the Russians and Belarusians would compete at the end of the month as independent players. With their countries subject to sanctions for the attacks on Ukraine, they have been banned from many competitions around the world. They will play in this year’s second Grand Slam with one condition: they will be punished if they praise Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If any of them have pro-Putin statements in the media, there will certainly be sanctions,” Amelie Mauresmo, director of Roland Garros, told France national radio on Thursday.
Two-time Roland Garros champion and current manager, former French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo, confirmed that the Russians and Belarusians were confirmed in the key to the competition. In his opinion, any decision, even a ban, would be unfair.
“It is very complicated, there is probably no fair decision for us to make. We stick to what all European and other governments decided in March, namely: Russia and Belarus are still banned, but not individual athletes. As long as they are playing under strict neutrality. And we will be very precise about That,” Mauresmo emphasized.
The English government is taking the biggest measures against the Russians and Belarusians, and Wimbledon has already announced a ban on players from both countries from participating in any tournament in the UK.
The Roland Garros Championship begins on May 22 and 95% of its tickets have already been sold out. Last year, the dispute was with the courts’ capacity restricted due to restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Serbian Novak Djokovic and Czech Barbora Krejicorva won the championship.
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