Rafael Nadal has spoken out against Wimbledon's decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament.
Wimbledon announced this month that due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, no Russian or Belarusian players would be allowed to compete at the 2022 Championships.
Due to this decision, two Top 10 men's players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, as well as female stars Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, won't be able to compete at SW 19.
Nadal, like many others, spoke about the situation, and the Spanish player feels that the All England Club took "the most extreme approach" and hopes the ATP and the WTA can find a way to work around the restriction.
"Let's see if we can take some kind of decision on this. It's very unfair to my colleagues, they aren't to blame for what is happening with the war. I feel sorry for them and I wish it wasn't like this. In the end, we know that this is what it is. When the government puts measures in place, we have to follow them."
The ATP and WTA, as well as players like Nadal's great rival Novak Djokovic, have slammed Wimbledon for imposing the suspension in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Alexander Zverev and Rublev were also against this decision. On the other hand, some players like Alexander Bublik believe that Wimbledon had the right to make the decision decision.
There are only a few weeks left before the grass-court major starts, running from June 27th to July 10th. Without some players being allowed to compete at the tournament, it's expected that the ATP and WTA will likely have to make a decision to counter Wimbledon's decision, as on the Tours, all players should have equal opportunities to earn ranking points and prize money at major tournaments.