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April 25, 2022
Novak Djokovic recently called out Wimbledon on their ban of Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s upcoming tournament.
“I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon. I think it is crazy. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good,” Djokovic told reporters.
Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players comes amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions that have followed. Reaching much further than the Kremlin, innocent Russians have been targeted with sanctions in an effort to entice them to pressure their government to cease operations in Ukraine.
Russian citizens cannot transfer money to foreign accounts or pay loans in foreign banks. Small business owners in Russia with foreign clients are struggling to retain their business and put food on their table. Sanctions are hurting ordinary, innocent citizens, making them victims of both the Russian regime and the Western sanctions.
But will that work? Will preventing Daniil Medvedev and Victoria Azarenka from chasing their first Wimbledon titles prevent Vladimir Putin from dropping more bombs on innocent Ukrainians?
Have Western sanctions worked in the past? Did Cuba sever its ties with the Communist world? Did Venezuela usher in a new president friendly to foreign investment? Did North Korea halt their production of nuclear weapons?
Perhaps Putin is a massive tennis fan, and this will turn out to be a brilliant geopolitical move. I can almost picture it now.
Putin: “I authorize 100 more bombs over Mariupol, Lviv, and Kyiv.”
Putin’s henchman: “Sir, have you heard that Wimbledon is banning Russians from competing in this year’s tournament?”
Putin: “Cancel the bombs. If we cannot have tennis, what are we even doing in Ukraine?”
Or, more likely, Putin won’t give a shit.
Wimbledon stated, “In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships.”
Unprecedented military aggression. It seems that people have forgotten what unprecedented means, brought on by its overuse during the coronavirus pandemic. No, this military aggression is not unprecedented. There have been more cases of military aggression in this world than there have been Wimbledon tournaments. There are plenty of precedents.
Tirade about language aside, Wimbledon states they don’t want the Russian regime to get any benefits from having Russians or Belarusians playing in the tournament.
Why not just remove their flag and replace it with a generic tennis picture, saying their athletes come from the Russian Tennis Committee? It worked in the Olympics. Nobody could figure what part of the world the athletes from the Russian Olympic Committee came from.
Unless the prize for winning Wimbledon is howitzers, javelins, and predatory drones, I’m not following the logic here.
Will the Russian army, at its wits end nearly ready to surrender, find added motivation by an incredible two weeks of serve and volley from Medvedev? I hardly think so. In fact, if there are any tennis fans in the Spetsnaz they will likely only be entrenched further into their positions, an added reason to say, “к черту запад”.
Wimbledon is making the wrong choice here, and I have to agree with Djokovic.
I would say this is an unprecedented move by Wimbledon, but that would be incorrect. Banning a race of people at the All-England Club has precedents. Black players were not allowed until 1951, and Jews weren’t allowed until 1952.
Wimbledon. Solving the world’s problems by prejudice, one race at a time.
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