Player changes nationality for Wimbledon

LONDON • Moscow-born Natela Dzalamidze will be able to compete at Wimbledon despite a ban on Russian and Belarusian players at this year's championships, after she changed her nationality to represent Georgia.

Dzalamidze, a 29-year-old doubles player ranked No. 43 in the world, will compete in the women's doubles with Moscow-born Serb Aleksandra Krunic, also 29.

Dzalamidze's nationality is Georgian on the WTA Tour's website.

In April, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon due to the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation". Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.

The AELTC said it has no involvement in players' change of nationality.

"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," a spokesman for the AELTC told Reuters in an e-mail.

The WTA and ITF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The grass-court Grand Slam, which begins on June 27, has been stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and WTA Tours over its decision to exclude players from Russia and Belarus.

None of the other Grand Slam tournaments has followed Wimbledon's lead, with the US Open announcing last week that Russian and Belarus players will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag.

Wimbledon's ban has ruled out a swathe of top players, including Daniil Medvedev, the men's world No. 1 and the reigning US Open champion, as well as two-time Slam winner Victoria Azarenka.

Several big names, including former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka and Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard, have already withdrawn from the tournament.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE