CDC won't allow Djokovic into US to play at Indian Wells & Miami

[Gointocarlton]

A couple of days ago it was reported that in F1 the constructor Haas (last-placed in 2021) has sacked the Russian Nikita Mazepin as the 2nd driver. But it made sense when I read that Haas ended its contract with its main sponsor, the Russian company Ukrali, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrali is owned by Nikita Mazepin's father! 

Buying a place at Princeton or Harvard for your son pales into insignificance when compared to buying him a drive in F1  :o

The bloke is dead set useless in an F1 car, embarrassing and dangerous in fact. Good riddance to him and his Putin money.

[Wet Willie]

The Joker has played the same cards as the Oz Open where he refuses to state his status when entering the competition until the last minute (after the draw has been announced...).  Sponsors are leaving him and organisers have had a gutfull. Disrespectful to the other players too.

[capcom]

Glad to see him gone  8)

[Gointocarlton]

The Joker has played the same cards as the Oz Open where he refuses to state his status when entering the competition until the last minute (after the draw has been announced...).  Sponsors are leaving him and organisers have had a gutfull. Disrespectful to the other players too.

Just a putrid, entitled human.

[Thryleon]

The Russian public in enabling and allowing Putin to behave that way holds some responsibility, but I concede people like Medvedev who probably have family and friends still in Russia are in a very hard place.

As much as you want to assert it as some personal assault on Medvedev it will probably happen at some stage, sanctions will apply to all high profile Russians in the same way they are being applied to Abramovich.

you over rate people power.

Governments might be perceived to be there to serve public interest but they only provide the illusion of choice, and are effectively a system that is there to self serve. 

Modern democracy has been beyond broken for a long time.

[Mav]

The British Govt may be going a bit far now:
Medvedev will be banned from Wimbledon if he fails to denounce Putin, The Age.

Players compete as individuals and bans on Russian teams shouldn't apply. All that should be required is that they compete as neutrals and don't inflame tensions.

It doesn't look like there are any Putin-apologists amongst Russian tennis players anyway, but requiring players to denounce a dictator with a penchant for killing journalists and other critics is problematic. Fortunately, the more successful Russian tennis players have wealth that's not controlled by Putin and could probably avoid having to return to Russia. No doubt Russia's Oligarchs could only dream of that. But there's a difference between expecting players to avoid inflaming tensions and directly attacking their own country.

In any event, Medvedev, Rublev and Palyuchenkova have all done enough in my view to avoid any individual bans.

[DJC]

The British Govt may be going a bit far now:
Medvedev will be banned from Wimbledon if he fails to denounce Putin, The Age.

Players compete as individuals and bans on Russian teams shouldn't apply. All that should be required is that they compete as neutrals and don't inflame tensions.

It doesn't look like there are any Putin-apologists amongst Russian tennis players anyway, but requiring players to denounce a dictator with a penchant for killing journalists and other critics is problematic. Fortunately, the more successful Russian tennis players have wealth that's not controlled by Putin and could probably avoid having to return to Russia. No doubt Russia's Oligarchs could only dream of that. But there's a difference between expecting players to avoid inflaming tensions and directly attacking their own country.

In any event, Medvedev, Rublev and Palyuchenkova have all done enough in my view to avoid any individual bans.

I think that "denounce" was more media speculation than government intention.  Medvedev, Rublev and Palyuchenkova should be allowed to play as neutrals.

[Wet Willie]

At Wimbledon, the players are playing for themselves, not "their country". 

Representing your country only happens at the old Davis Cup/Fed Cup or Olympic comps.

In effect, at nearly every other competition every player is playing neutral.

[madbluboy]

The bad guys have been permitted to play at the French Open.

[Mav]

Why are the Russian players "bad guys"? And Djokovic isn't a bad guy either: he's just an entitled twat. Not the same thing.