Andy Murray won't go "nuts" if Wimbledon allows Russians and Belarusians this year, says he's ready to accept the final decision
Three-time Slam champion Andy Murray has stated that he would respect Wimbledon's final decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian players this year.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club) banned Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the Wimbledon Championships. That in turn led to the ATP and WTA stripping the event of ranking points slapping them with a fine of £1.4 million.
The ruling on the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in the 2023 edition, however, has not been announced yet.
Murray, one of the finest tennis players Great Britain has ever produced, was not in favor of players being banned last year. Speaking at Indian Wells recently, the World No. 55 reiterated his sympathy for the players who missed out in 2022. At the same time, however, he acknowledged how difficult it was for the tournament organizers to make a decision.
"It's a really difficult one and I do feel for the players who weren't able to play last year," Andy Murray said. "But I also understand the situation and why it's really hard for Wimbledon to make a call on it as well."
The 35-year-old further remarked that he would be fine with the AELTC allowing players back this year, but that he would also understand if it doesn't.
"My understanding is that they are going to be allowed to play and I'm not going to be going nuts if that is the case. But if Wimbledon went down another route, I would be understanding of that," he added.
Last week, during the Dubai Tennis Championships, Russian No. 1 Daniil Medvedev expressed his wish to return to Wimbledon this year and produce good results.
"I want to play on grass, I want to play Wimbledon. I don’t know what their decision is going to be. I’m just going to wait for it and hopefully, I can play Wimbledon this year and show some great results," Medvedev said.
Andy Murray interested in Dan Evans vs Jack Draper at Indian Wells 2023
Andy Murray will face Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, March 9. In the event that the Brit progresses through the tournament, he will take on one of his compatriots — Dan Evans or Jack Draper — in the third round. Evans and Draper are expected to meet each other in the second round.
While Murray isn't worrying yet about a match against one of his countrymen, he admitted that he was interested in watching the two play against each other.
"To be honest, I don't really care that much. Obviously, I can see why it's interesting," Andy Murray said. "And if Evo plays against Jack, I'll be interested in the match. But I'm not particularly bothered by it and for me, it's not going to impact me until the third round. I need to get there and this is not always a tournament where I have played amazing."
Murray's best result in Indian Wells was reaching the final in 2009, where Rafael Nadal defeated him in straight sets.