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Earlier this month, the All England Lawn Tennis
Club (AELTC), which organises the grasscourt Grand Slam, said it
was in talks with the British government on the participation of
players from Russia and Belarus.
The organisers said it planned to announce a decision in mid-May
ahead of the entry deadline for the June 27-July 10 tournament.
The AELTC did not immediately respond to request for comment on
the report.
A ban on Russian players would prevent world number two Daniil
Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, ranked eighth, from competing in the
men's draw. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is 15th in the women's
rankings.
The report said it was unclear whether players from Belarus
would also be banned. Belarus is a key staging area for the
invasion, which Russia calls a "special operation".
Tennis governing bodies banned Russia and Belarus from
international team competitions following the invasion.
Individual players are allowed to compete on tours but not under
the name or flag of their countries.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said last month that he
would not be comfortable with a "Russian athlete flying the
Russian flag" and winning Wimbledon in London.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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