Italian Open set to ban all Russians and Belarusians
As it stands, the entry list contains 11 players from Russia or Belarus in the main draws of the men’s and women’s singles.
Organisers of the Italian Open are waiting to hear whether players from Russia and Belarus are permitted to compete after Wimbledon’s decision prompted the Italian government to make a sudden intervention.
With only two weeks before the tournament begins at Rome’s Foro Italico, organisers are faced with the prospect of potentially having to ban players such as Andrey Rublev and Victoria Azarenka at short notice.
As it stands, the entry list contains 11 players from Russia or Belarus in the main draws of the men’s and women’s singles.
After an initial report in the newspaper Corriere della Sera, sources close to the tournament have told The Times that the Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, is considering taking some form of legal action to ensure that Russians and Belarusians cannot play while the invasion of Ukraine continues.
This could either take the form of a travel ban or a new order that individuals cannot participate in professional sporting events on Italian soil.
This is an intriguing development as officials from the ATP and WTA tours prepare to discuss what action they will take in response to the decision by Wimbledon and the LTA not to allow players from Russia and Belarus to appear at British grass-court events. Board and player meetings will take place in Madrid throughout this week.
Last Wednesday, Wimbledon became the first major tennis tournament to impose a full ban. Up until this point, Russians and Belarusians had been permitted to continue competing as neutrals without a flag beside their names.
Wimbledon’s status as one of the four grand-slam events means that the ATP and WTA are limited in the action they can take. There have been suggestions that world-ranking points could be removed, but this seems unlikely as it is a move that would not have the backing of most players.
The LTA is more vulnerable as its Wimbledon warm-up events come under the direct jurisdiction of the ATP and WTA. The removal of ranking points would surely decimate the fields, with players given the opportunity instead to play in concurrent tournaments in Germany and the Netherlands. However, insiders sense that a substantial fine of six figures is the more feasible outcome at the moment.
It will help the case of both Wimbledon and the LTA if players from Russia and Belarus cannot participate at the Italian Open and other tournaments, meaning that Britain is not regarded as an outlier on the international circuit. There are also suggestions that the French Open may suddenly come under political pressure now that the presidential election has concluded.
Rublev claimed the best victory of his career on Sunday. The world No 8 from Russia, who has branded the Wimbledon ban as “complete discrimination”, defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0 to win the Serbia Open in Belgrade.
