Tennis legend and WTA founder Billie Jean King does not support the Wimbledon decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at this year's tournament.
On Wednesday, Wimbledon had announced bans for Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
“The decision of the LTA and AELTC regarding Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s tournament was a difficult and complex undertaking, and I appreciate the challenges and pressures they are facing," King said in a statetement.
“One of the guiding principles of the founding of the WTA was that any girl in the world if she was good enough, would have a place to compete. I stood by that in 1973 and I stand by that today. I cannot support the banning of individual athletes from any tournament, simply because of their nationality.
“Tennis is stronger when we stand together, and our continued support of the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which provides meaningful financial support and resources to Ukraine, needs to be our focus”.
