Some of the world’s best tennis players won’t be allowed to compete in one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2022. Wimbledon announced Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian players will be denied entry to The Championships because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision, which was influenced by the British government, aims to “limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.”

“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,” Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the All England Club, said in a statement.

"We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships.”

Wimbledon is scheduled to start on June 27 and conclude on July 10. The ban could be lifted if “circumstances change materially” over the next two months.

Two of the top-10 players in the ATP Rankings will be absent from Wimbledon 2022 as a result of Wednesday's announcement. No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev are barred from competing in the Grand Slam.

Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open and reached the finals of the 2022 Australian Open. The two Russian players were eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon a year ago.

Only world No. 1 Novak Djokovic had been given better odds than Medvedev to win Wimbledon 2022.

On the women’s side, No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will be left out of the Wimbledon field. Sabalenka reached the semifinals of The Championships in 2021.

No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and No. 18 Victoria Azarenka are barred from Wimbledon 2022, as well.

The 2022 French Open is the next Grand Slam on the tennis calendar. Russian and Belarusian players are expected to compete in the tournament, which starts on May 22.

No. 1: Daniil Medvedev makes his first match as world number one a second-round victory over Czech qualifier Tomas Machac at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells
No. 1: Daniil Medvedev makes his first match as world number one a second-round victory over Czech qualifier Tomas Machac at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / Sean M. Haffey
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