London, April 20 (Agency) The annual Wimbledon press conference will take place on April 26, where organizers might comment on reports that All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) will ban Russian tennis players from the June tournament, The New York Times journalist Ben Rothenberg said on Wednesday. Sportico reported on Tuesday, citing a source, that AELTC will not allow Russian tennis players to participate in Wimbledon.
On Sunday, AELTC chief Scott Lloyd said that a decision on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes had not yet been made. Russians and Belarusians are currently allowed to perform at tournaments of the Association of Professional Tennis Players and the Women’s Tennis Association only in neutral status. The Wimbledon tennis tournament will be held from June 27 – July 10. In March, UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said that the world’s second-best racket Daniil Medvedev and other Russians could be denied participation in Wimbledon if they refuse to publicly condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine.