wimbledon: Russian player Natela Dzalamidze changes nationality to avoid Wimbledon ban

According to a report in The Times newspaper, a Russian tennis player has escaped the Wimbledon ban on all competitors in her country by changing her nationality to Georgian.

World No. 44, 29-year-old doubles player Natela Zalamidze will compete in women’s doubles with Alexandra Krunic of Serbia when the tournament begins on June 27.

Wimbledon organizers All England Club announced in April that players from Russia and Belarus would be barred from competing this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But a spokesman for the All England Club told The Times that they were powerless to intervene in a change to Dzalamidze’s nationality, as it was a matter for the Women’s Tennis Federation (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and they had met the entry requirements. ,

“A player’s nationality, which is defined as the flag they play in professional events, is an agreed process that is governed by tourism and the ITF,” the spokesperson said.

Wimbledon’s ban on players from Russia and Belarus provoked a hostile backlash elsewhere in the tennis world, with the WTA and the ATP, its male counterpart, stripping the tournament of ranking points.

None of the other Grand Slam tournaments have followed Wimbledon’s lead, with the US Open last week announcing that Russian and Belarus players would be allowed to compete under a neutral flag.

The Wimbledon ban has thrown a number of top players out, including Daniil Medvedev, men’s world number one and current US Open champion, as well as two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka.

Originally published at Pen 18