Tennis, the War in Ukraine, and Wimbledon's Ban
It's been a while but so much has happened not least of all the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia. This aggressor act shocked the world. And rightly so! Hence, I'm struggling to understand why Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players has become such a heated debate. (Belarusia has a formal military alliance with Russia and is a long standing dictatorship itself, ie since 1994.) Incidentally, it's not the first time the All England Club has banned players. This also happened after WW2 when both German and Japanese players were banned from the Grand Slam. So what's the big deal? Yes, I know everyone has the freedom to play regardless of nationality (ITF rule), and I totally agree. But I think the rule is being misapplied in this case. Banning isn't something I support which is why I argued Djokovic should have been allowed to play the Australian Open under the principle that it's his body, his choice if he wishes to be vaccinated or not and his freedo...