Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Players from Russia and Belarus are back competing at Wimbledon a year after they were barred by the All England Club because of the invasion of Ukraine. The war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine with help from Belarus continues but the tennis event’s organizers announced in March they would lift their ban. So players such as Andrey Rublev and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus were on court in first-round action on Monday as the tournament began. The No. 7-seeded Rublev was among the first winners. He beat Max Purcell of Australia 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.