Russian Tennis Player Avoids Being Banned From Wimbledon By Changing Her Nationality

With the All England Club and the Committee of Management banning Russian players for this year's Wimbledon Championships, one player recently changed her nationality.

Natela Dzalamidze will be playing at Wimbledon after officially adopting a Georgian nationality. The 29-year-old, who is ranked at number 43 worldwide, is now listed with a Georgian nationality on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) website.

The athlete managed to avoid the Wimbledon ban that the organization had imposed on Russians following the invasion of Ukraine, reports CNN.

Regarding the change of nationality in order to compete, the All England Club denied any involvement in players' nationality change, and said that the "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 (International Tennis Federation)," reports the BBC.

An All England Club spokesperson told The Times they were powerless to interfere in Dzalamidze's change of nationality, as this was a matter for the WTA and the ITF, and that she had satisfied the entry requirements.

In April 2021, the All England Club, which organizes the yearly Wimbledon tennis tournament, barred Russians and Belarusians from competing at the tournament this year in solidarity with Ukraine. During the French Open in May, Dzalamidze competed under a neutral flag, as was policy for Russian players to do.

Dzalamidze will be competing in women's doubles with Serbian tennis player Aleksandra Krunic. The tournament kicks off on June 27.