Russian and Belarusian tennis players allowed to participate in Wimbledon

Tennis players from Belarus and Russia were allowed to participate in Wimbledon.

"On behalf of the All England Club and the Championship Steering Committee, we would like to provide an update on entries for this year's Championship. We currently intend to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players, provided they compete as 'neutral' athletes and comply with the relevant terms and conditions," a statement posted on the official Wimbledon website reads.

The All England Club announced earlier that it would ban all Russians and Belarusians from playing on their fields. The Wimbledon ban drew immediate criticism from the WTA and ATP, as well as some notable players such as defending champion Novak Djokovic.

In May, the WTA and ATP said they would not award ranking points for Wimbledon this year, an unprecedented rebuke from the All England Club. Some players, including four-time Major champion and former No. 1 Naomi Osaka, have said they would consider skipping Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments and traditionally takes place on grass in London in the summer.

The head of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Ian Hutt, explained that the decision to admit Belarusians and Russians was difficult. At the same time, according to him, if circumstances change before the start of Wimbledon, "we will respond accordingly."