'Disappointed' Sabalenka slams Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian, Belarusian players

World number five Aryna Sabalenka has slammed Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing in the 2022 tournament, saying it "changed nothing".

Following Wimbledon's imposition of the ban in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian Sabalenka was one of several elite athletes who missed out on the Grand Slam.

The ATP and WTA later levied fines against the organisers and deducted the competition's ranking points from the Slam.

"I'm just really disappointed sport is somehow in politics," Sabalenka told The Age. "We're just athletes playing their sport. That's it. We're not about politics. If all of us could do something [about the war], we would do it, but we have zero control.

"They banned us from Wimbledon, and what did it change? Nothing - they're [the Russian government] still doing this, and this is the sad [part] of this situation."

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organises Wimbledon, has not yet stated if the restriction will continue to apply to the 2023 competition.

But Sabalenka is hoping to return to the grass-court major after finding it difficult to witness the action last year.

"It was a tough time. I was super disappointed with their decision. I really missed the people because the atmosphere at Wimbledon is super amazing. You can feel these people really love tennis there, and I really miss them," she said.

"I really hope that I'll play there [in 2023], just because of the people, to feel this atmosphere. But if they're going to ban us again... I don't care about Wimbledon's decision. The only thing I'll miss is the people."

It is worth mentioning here that the women's singles title was won by Elena Rybakina, who defeated Ons Jabeur in the final.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic successfully defended his men's singles title to claim his 21st major title, defeating Nick Kyrgios in the final.

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