Wimbledon had announced in April that it would not allow players from Russia and Belarus to participate in the tournament this year. Therefore, to avoid the ban, a Russian player, Natela Dzalamidze, has changed her nationality to Georgian to participate in Wimbledon 2022.
Natela will compete in the women’s doubles partnering with Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic. All England Club representative told The Times that the club was powerless to stop Dzalamidze from changing her nationality. He explained that the All England Club couldn’t do anything about it; because it was a concern for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Additionally, Dzalamidze had met all of the requirements necessary for the participation.
“Player nationality, defined as the flag they play under at professional events, is an agreed process that is governed by tours and the ITF,” the spokesman said.
Natela Dzalamidze changes nationality to participate in Wimbledon 2022
Following the backlash against the ban, two All England Club officials held a press conference to justify the decision. They said that the “intensely tough and agonizing decision” to restrict players from Russia and Belarus Wimbledon this year was because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Citing the club’s “responsibility to play our part in limiting the possibility of Wimbledon being used to justify the harm being done to others by the Russian regime,” Chief Executive Sally Bolton said. “We believe that this decision is the only viable option for Wimbledon.”
Wimbledon’s prohibition on athletes from Russia and Belarus sparked a backlash in the tennis world; with the WTA and ATP both deducting ranking points from the tournament. No other Grand Slam tournaments have followed Wimbledon’s lead. The US Open last week said that Russian and Belarus players will be able to compete under a neutral flag.