Aussie tennis professional John Millman has taken another thinly-veiled swipe at Wimbledon following its decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players, accusing the move of being money driven.
Millman was one of a number of pros to speak out against the All England Club’s decision earlier in the week and now has doubled down.
The 32-year-old, who is currently ranked No.80 on the ATP tour, shared a story from the early stages of his career which he believed displays Wimbledon’s money-driven nature.
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“When I qualified at Wimbledon for the first time I asked for two extra ground passes so family could watch – I was told to line up in the queue,” he tweeted.
“Money means everything there, if you’re going to ban athletes then also give all your profits in aid. Then we’d know you’re serious.”
The tweet was the second occasion Millman pleaded with the All England Club to donate its profits to Ukraine instead of banning Russian and Belarusian players.
“I feel like Ukraine would be better served if [Wimbledon] donated their entire profit in support aid instead of banning the Russian and Belarusian players,” he tweeted earlier.
Among the prominent men’s players affected by the ban are reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No.1 in the ATP rankings and is currently No.2, and No.8 Andrey Rublev.
The women’s players affected include No.4 Aryna Sabalenka, who was a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year; Victoria Azarenka, a former No.1 who has won the Australian Open twice; and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the French Open runner-up last year.
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