"Don’t slam Wimbledon, slam Russia" - Two-time Michelin Star chef hits out at Nadal, Djokovic & Murray
Renowned Spanish-American chef José Andrés has hit out at Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray for criticizing Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players from their event.
Andrés, a two-time Michelin Star awardee, believes Russia deserves all the blame for the atrocities they have carried out during their ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Chef is a winner of the National Humanities Medal, which he was presented with at a ceremony at the White House in 2016. He also formed the World Central Kitchen in 2010, an NGO that provides fresh and healthy food to people affected by natural and man-made disasters.
Andrés has over a million followers on Twitter, where he made known his views regarding Russia's atrocities against Ukrainians. The chef reckons Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray erred in blaming Wimbledon rather than Russia.
"@RafaelNadal, @DjokerNole, @andy_murray when you know that children+women+elderly they’ve been shot in the head for going out for bread to eat. Girls raped. Millions of Ukrainians displaced! don’t slam @Wimbledon slam Russia," wrote the chef.
.@RafaelNadal @DjokerNole @andy_murray when you know that children+women+elderly they’ve been shot in the head for going out for bread to eat. Girls raped.Millions of Ukrainians displaced!don’t slam @Wimbledon slam Russia… cnn.com/2022/05/02/ten…
What Nadal, Djokovic & Murray have said about Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian & Belarusian athletes
Wimbledon recently confirmed that all Russian and Belarusian players would be denied entry into the grasscourt Slam due to Russia's invasion and continued aggression against Ukraine.
Rafael Nadal spoke out against the decision during a recent press conference, calling it "unfair" towards his Russian peers.
"I think it's very unfair (on) my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues," Nadal said in a press conference on Sunday ahead of the Madrid Open. "It's not their fault what's happening in this moment with the war. "I'm sorry for them, Wimbledon just took their decision ... the government didn't force them to do it. Let's see what happens in the next weeks, if the players will take some kind of decision in that regard."
Meanwhile, Andy Murray pointed out that Russian and Belarusian players could risk dangerous situations for their families and friends back home should they speak out against Putin or Lukashenko.
"My understanding of the guidance was that Russians and Belarusians can play if they sign a declaration that they're against the war and against the Russian regime," Murray said to journalists at the Madrid Open. "I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel if something happened to one of the players or their families (as a result)."
Novak Djokovic also thinks athletes should not be given the short hand of the stick since they have not actively contributed to the Ukraine-Russia war. He displayed sympathy towards the Ukrainian victims, given he grew up in similar circumstances, but stressed that politics should not interfere with sporting decisions.
"I will always be the first one to condemn the war. As a child of war, I know what kind of emotional trauma a war leaves," Djokovic said. "Us in Serbia, we know what was happening here in 1999, ordinary people always suffer, we've had a lot of wars in the Balkans. That being said, I cannot support the Wimbledon decision. It's not the athletes' fault. When politics interfere with sports, it usually doesn't turn out well."