BY: CHRISTINA CORBIE| AUGUST 20, 2025
The line separating sports and politics gets blurrier everyday, but in the world of tennis, we’re seeing a mix of the two like never before.
Starting in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the governing bodies of professional tennis have banned Russian and Belarusian players from representing their countries on court. Those bodies being the Association of Tennis Professionals (men’s ATP tour), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the four Grand Slams. These associations have issued a joint statement denouncing Russia’s military actions against Ukraine and the use of Belarus as a foothold of Russia’s attack plans. The statement dictates that all Russian and Belarusian players must compete under a neutral flag (white) and must not use either country’s name during tournaments. Additionally, all ITF tournaments set to be held in Russia and Belarus are suspended until further notice. Essentially, these athletes can still compete, but as neutral players without national representation.
Notably, players from both countries were banned from competing at Wimbledon and UK grass tournaments in 2022 altogether. This rule was removed due to the massive backlash the UK received from the ATP, WTA, and several players on tour citing discrimination. Ahead of the 2023 season, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) removed the ban on the contingency that these athletes make no mention of their home countries during the tournament. Ironically, the women’s Wimbledon champion of 2022 was Elena Rybakina, a Russian born player who left the Russian Tennis Federation in 2018 due to a lack of support, and has been representing Kazakhstan ever since. Russia celebrated her win as a victory anyway despite her decision to switch nationalities.
Three athletes in particular have been affected by the flag ban: Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka, as well as Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. They are the three highest ranked Belarusian and Russian players currently on tour. All three have spoken lightly about the subject despite repeated press inquiries. Aryna Sabalenka has responded to the situation, saying that she is sad not to be able to represent her small country, and what that could mean for the next generation of Belarusian players. “I was always proud to represent Belarus in terms of its a small country and I made it from very small country. It’s not like I was practicing in the states or in Spain. I felt like I was kind of an inspiration for the next generation. I was kind of motivating people from there, like tennis athletes” (DailyMail).
Daniil Medvedev has also spoken out about the decision. “It’s always tough to talk on this subject because I want to play tennis, play in different countries, I want to promote my sport, I want to promote what I’m doing in my country for sure” (tennis.com). Despite the disappointment in his remarks, he has ultimately acquiesced to the decision because it is the only way he can continue to play.
Andery Rublev had a tense moment during one of his matches at the Australian Open in 2023. He asked the umpire to silence a crowd in the stands who were waving Ukrainian flags at him. Rublev stated, “it’s not about the flag, it’s about the people who are coming and saying bad words” (Distractify). After winning that match, he signed a TV camera with the message, “No war please.”
The neutral player regulation on Russian and Belarusian players continues to this day, with the governing bodies of tennis standing firm in their decision to ban representation of these two countries. At the time of this article, Aryna Sabalenka is the only Belarusian athlete still advancing in the current Wimbledon 2025 tournament, and will play the Semifinal match on Thursday, July 10th. And still, she is competing as a neutral athlete with no home flag. The tennis association vows to keep the ban in place until Russia and Belarus halt all hostilities against Ukraine and bring peace back to the region.
This indefinite ban represents the tumultuous relationship between sports and politics, and the unfortunate consequences of when they collide. Should players be punished for their government’s actions? Or should we hold them accountable for who they represent? Drop us a comment below, and stay up to date with us on What’s Your Jock Support!
Works Cited
“Tennis Players No Longer Able to Compete Under Name or Flag of Russia or Belarus.” VOA News, 1 Mar. 2022, www.voanews.com/a/tennis-players-no-longer-able-to-compete-under-name-or-flag-of-russia-or-belarus/6465103.html.
Faulkner, Trisha. “Why Does Andrey Rublev Not Have a Flag? Explaining the Neutral Status for Russian Players.” Distractify, Distractify, 7 July 2025, distractify.com/p/why-does-rublev-not-have-a-flag.
Tandon, Kamakshi. “‘The Only Way I Can Play’: Daniil Medvedev Reacts to No. 1 Ranking, Removal of Russian Flags.” Com, Tennis.com, 11 Mar. 2022, www.tennis.com/news/articles/only-way-i-can-play-daniil-medvedev-reacts-no-1-ranking-removal-russian-flags.
Fuller, Russell. “Wimbledon 2022: Russian & Belarusian Players Banned from Tournament.” BBC Sport, BBC, 20 Apr. 2022, bbc.com/sport/tennis/61161016.
“Wimbledon Ban on Russian and Belarusian Players.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 July 2025, wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimbledon_ban_on_Russian_and_Belarusian_players#:~:text=Over%20the%20next%20month%2C%20the,and%20the%20Queen’s%20Club%20Championships.
Cooney, James. “Explained: The Strange Detail about How World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka Is Being Shown on TV during the Australian Open.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 16 Jan. 2025, dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-14290597/Aryna-Sabalenka-Belarus-flag-banned-TV-Australian-Open-2025.html.
