Russian player switches nationality to compete at Wimbledon
Russia-born doubles player Natela Dzalamidze will be able to compete at Wimbledon after changing her nationality to represent Georgia.
Back in March, Wimbledon announced that they were to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Therefore, the likes of world number one Daniil Medvedev and world number eight Andrey Rublev are set to miss out on the world’s oldest tournament.
The 29-year-old is now on the Wimbledon entry list as Georgian and is set to compete in the women’s doubles alongside Serbian partner Aleksandra Krunic.
In response to Natela Dzalamidze’s decision, The All England Club said it has no involvement in players’ change of nationality, saying in a statement, “Player nationality, defined as the flag they play under at professional events, is an agreed process that is governed by the tours and the ITF (International Tennis Federation).”
Dzalamidze, who is 43rd in the world in women’s doubles, will be looking to improve from her first round exits at last month’s Roland Garros.
The grass court Slam will be commencing on the 27th June and is the only Grand Slam to ban Russian and Belarusian players, with the USTA following in the footsteps of the French Open and announcing this week that the US Open will be enabling the two European nations players to compete under a neutral flag.
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