Tennis and politics are a strange duo, yet the two are a pair that have clashed multiple times throughout history. If Brad Gilbert had the choice, he would never have played a professional tennis tournament in South Africa while the country was involved in apartheid turmoil. Martina Navratilova, the most successful female tennis player of the Open era, challenged Czechoslovakia’s communist government by moving to the United States in 1975. The first president of the ATP (top-tier men’s tennis association), Cliff Drysdale, had fellow tennis pros who boycotted Wimbledon in 1973 because the Croatian player Nikola Pilic was suspended by the Yugoslav Tennis Federation because they said he refused for Yugoslavia at the Davis Cup in New Zealand.
Jimmy Connors was also affected by political issues in tennis. In 1974, he won 94 of 98 matches and 15 of 20 tournaments, which includes the Wimbledon and both the Australian and U.S. Opens. He would have captured the Grand Slam, but he was not allowed to play in the French Open by the French Tennis Federation and the ATP, after Connors signed a contract to play World Team Tennis. This league had supposedly taken players away from tour events.
This year is certainly no different from the previous political chaos that have distracted tennis. Both the Women’s Tennis Association and ATP have removed Wimbledon’s ranking points due to three trending incidents– Djokovic’s deportation from Australia on the onset of the Australian Open because he had no COVID vaccination; The Women’s Tennis Association canceling all tournaments in China after Peng Shuai accused a high-ranking government official of sexual assault; and Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine.
Five male players ranked in the world as Top 50 with not be allowed to compete in Wimbledon due to this recent ban. These five men include Daniil Medvedev, ranking number one, and Andrey Rublev, ranking top eight. Russians Kren Khachanov, Aslan Karatsev, and Ilya Ivashka are banned too.
Among the women, thirteen players were not allowed to play, even though they qualified. This list includes globally ranked 13 Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, ranked No. 22, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2021 French Open runner-up), Victoria Azarenka, who was formerly ranked world No. 1, and Aryna Sabalenka (Ranked No. 6 and semifinalist for both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year).
The United States Tennis Association has fortunately announced that Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open, however not under their nations’ flags.
“I have some sympathy for the Russian players, but Wimbledon did the right thing,” Drysdale, former tennis player, remarked, “We have to do anything possible to send a message to the Kremlin that they are committing crimes against humanity.”
Drysdale has played tennis for decades, and has experienced political clashes before. Now 81, Drysdale, who is a native South African, played against Norway in the Davis Cup in 1964 when demonstrators protested apartheid toseed rocks. Even though there were police, there was too much turmoil and they had to move to a secret location to play matches.
“Our sport is always going to be subjected to political forces,” commented Drysdale, who is an ESPN commentator, “There’s always something coming around the corner and rearing its head.”
Jimmy Connors was also affected by political issues in tennis. In 1974, he won 94 of 98 matches and 15 of 20 tournaments, which includes the Wimbledon and both the Australian and U.S. Opens. He would have captured the Grand Slam, but he was not allowed to play in the French Open by the French Tennis Federation and the ATP, after Connors signed a contract to play World Team Tennis. This league had supposedly taken players away from tour events.
This year is certainly no different from the previous political chaos that have distracted tennis. Both the Women’s Tennis Association and ATP have removed Wimbledon’s ranking points due to three trending incidents– Djokovic’s deportation from Australia on the onset of the Australian Open because he had no COVID vaccination; The Women’s Tennis Association canceling all tournaments in China after Peng Shuai accused a high-ranking government official of sexual assault; and Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine.
Five male players ranked in the world as Top 50 with not be allowed to compete in Wimbledon due to this recent ban. These five men include Daniil Medvedev, ranking number one, and Andrey Rublev, ranking top eight. Russians Kren Khachanov, Aslan Karatsev, and Ilya Ivashka are banned too.
Among the women, thirteen players were not allowed to play, even though they qualified. This list includes globally ranked 13 Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, ranked No. 22, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2021 French Open runner-up), Victoria Azarenka, who was formerly ranked world No. 1, and Aryna Sabalenka (Ranked No. 6 and semifinalist for both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year).
The United States Tennis Association has fortunately announced that Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open, however not under their nations’ flags.
“I have some sympathy for the Russian players, but Wimbledon did the right thing,” Drysdale, former tennis player, remarked, “We have to do anything possible to send a message to the Kremlin that they are committing crimes against humanity.”
Drysdale has played tennis for decades, and has experienced political clashes before. Now 81, Drysdale, who is a native South African, played against Norway in the Davis Cup in 1964 when demonstrators protested apartheid toseed rocks. Even though there were police, there was too much turmoil and they had to move to a secret location to play matches.
“Our sport is always going to be subjected to political forces,” commented Drysdale, who is an ESPN commentator, “There’s always something coming around the corner and rearing its head.”
