Wimbledon: Russian stars anxiously wait to play at SW19 after visa delays
Russian stars are anxiously waiting to play at Wimbledon after widespread visa delays that have affected 16-year-old actress Mirra Andreeva and world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, among others
Some Russian players are anxiously waiting to play at Wimbledon due to delays in processing their visas.
Several have been known to be concerned, including 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who is regarded as the most exciting emerging talent in the women’s game.
According to players’ agents, visa processing for people from Russia and Belarus takes at least six weeks, and often longer as additional security checks are carried out on those from the two countries that attacked Ukraine.
It is also known that a priority scheme, whereby an extra fee can be paid for an accelerated application process, is not available to them.
Apart from Andreeva, world number two Daniil Medvedev has also suggested that he should wait before knowing if he can play.
Some Russian stars are anxiously waiting to play at Wimbledon
The likes of 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev wait nervously
However, as one agent pointed out, many of the Russian tennis players are residents of countries such as Spain and Dubai and can travel with EU or United Arab Emirates passports.
Wimbledon and UK tournaments are required to re-admit players from Belarus and Russia this year, under threat of heavy sanctions from the international tours, which have a policy of letting them play as neutrals.
The interior ministry could not be reached for comment, but previously declined to issue visas for tennis players, not wanting to set a wider precedent.
The French Open saw its first failure of the tournament when Japanese player Miyu Kato accidentally hit a ball girl and made her cry.
Playing in the third round with partner Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia, Kato hit a ball from her side of the net to the back of the court which hit the ballwoman.
There didn’t seem to be any malice or anger in the stroke, although it did shake the girl completely and she was clearly distressed.
However, umpire Alexandre Juge initially showed leniency and issued a warning.
Then their opponents, Maria Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo, demanded that the supervisor be called, insisting it was a disqualification violation.
Meanwhile, the French Open saw its first failure of the tournament when Japanese player Miyu Kato (right) accidentally punched a ball girl and made her cry in women’s doubles.
After Supervisor Wayne McKewen arrived at court, a call was made for Tournament Referee Remy Azemar, and after a stoppage, the offense was upgraded to a default.
“In the end it was the referee’s decision,” Bouzkova insisted.
“He got the way we saw it, the way the referee saw it, and the regulator got information from that. They also talked to our opponents, of course, and what they thought was happening, and it was in his hands.”
On Saturday, Russian star Mirra Andreeva was lucky enough to escape when she angrily swept a ball into the crowd.
That seemed more intentional, but the end result was different.