Nadal says Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players unfair
Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal labelled the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Wimbledon over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine as unfair.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) barred players from the two countries from competing at this year's grasscourt major in response to what Russia calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.
"I think it's very unfair to my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues. In that sense it's not their fault what's happening in this moment with the war," 21-times major winner Nadal told reporters at the Madrid Open on Sunday.
"Let's see what happens in the next weeks, if the players will take some kind of decision ... there's one thing that's negative, there are things that are clear. When the government imposes some restrictions, you just have to follow them."
AELTC Chairman Ian Hewitt said British government guidance did not allow players to compete at the event based on their rankings and there were two available options -- declining entries or allowing entries but only with specific written declarations from individual players.
Britain's former world number one Andy Murray said there was no right answer on the issue.
"I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel if something happened to one of the players or their families (as a result of signing the form)," Murray said.
"I don't think there's a right answer. I've spoken to some of the Russian players... some of the Ukrainian players.
"I feel really bad for the players who aren't allowed to play and I get that it will seem unfair to them. But I also know some of the people who work at Wimbledon, and I know how difficult a position they were in."
The AELTC's decision has been condemned by both the men's and women's tours as well as several other players.
World number one Novak Djokovic, who has also criticised the ban, said on Sunday that he had spoken to Russian players during last week's Serbia Open and it was tough for them to be excluded from the tournament.
"It's hard. I understand that there is frustration. ATP is going to, I guess, analyse the whole situation and understand what can be done," said the Serbian.
"I stand by my position that I don't support the decision. I think it's just not fair, it's not right... now I guess it's on player council, the tour management, to really decide along with the players what is the best solution in this situation."
Djokovic heartbroken over former coach Becker's jail sentence
World number one Novak Djokovic said on Sunday that he was "heartbroken" after his former coach Boris Becker was sent to prison earlier this week in a bankruptcy case in the UK.
The 54-year-old German was jailed for two years and six months by a London court on Friday for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after he was declared bankrupt.
"Just heartbroken, I mean, for him. He's a friend, long-time friend, a coach for three, four years, someone I consider close in my life and has contributed a lot to my success in my career," Djokovic told reporters at the Madrid Open.
The pair worked together between 2014 and 2016, with Becker guiding Djokovic to six of his 20 Grand Slam titles.
"I just hope he will go through this period... and when he comes out he's able to live his life as, I don't know if we'll use the word 'normal', because the life is definitely changing, I mean, for anybody going to prison," added the Serbian.
"I just pray for him. I hope things will be well in terms of his health, his mental health, because that's going to be the most challenging part."
Djokovic, a three-times winner at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, is looking for his first title of the season after losing to Andrey Rublev in the final of the Serbia Open last week.
