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(Reuters) – Andy Murray mentioned he expects Wimbledon organisers to permit Russian and Belarusian gamers to compete on the Grand Slam this yr after they had been banned in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The All England Garden Tennis Membership (AELTC) barred gamers from the 2 international locations from competing the grasscourt main in response to what Russia known as a “particular army operation” in Ukraine. Belarus has been a key staging space for the invasion.
The AELTC mentioned barring gamers from the 2 international locations was the one viable possibility underneath the steerage supplied by the British authorities, however the transfer led to Wimbledon having its rating factors taken away by the lads’s ATP and girls’s WTA.
“It is a actually tough one and I do really feel for the gamers who weren’t in a position to play final yr. However I additionally perceive the scenario and why it is actually arduous for Wimbledon to make a name on it as properly,” Murray instructed BBC Sport.
“My understanding is that they will be allowed to play and I am not going to be going nuts if that’s the case.
“But when Wimbledon went down one other route I might be understanding of that.”
Murray obtained the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award final yr in recognition of his help for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine after the previous world primary donated greater than $630,000 of prize cash he received in 2022.
The Briton had mentioned final yr that he had spoken to a few of the Russian gamers and didn’t consider they had been in favour of what was occurring in Ukraine.
This yr’s Wimbledon Championships are scheduled to run from July 3-16.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Enhancing by Christian Radnedge)