Nadal criticizes Wimbledon ban on Russian players as 'very unfair'
Wimbledon officials said British government pressure left them with little alternative
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has sharply criticized the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon this year.
The organizers' decision was "very unfair," Nadal told a news conference on Sunday ahead of the ATP Masters tournament in Madrid.
The grass grand slam tournament made the ruling because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the support of Belarus.
Wimbledon officials said British government pressure left them with little alternative.
But Nadal, 35, said: "It's very unfair to my colleagues. What can the poor people do about it?"
Novac Djokovic
The players are not to blame "for what is happening," he added.
Other top players including Novak Djokovic have also slammed Wimbledon's decision, which means men's world number two Daniil Medvedev will not be in London for the June 27-July 10 tournament.