Natela Dzalamidze: the Russian tennis player will represent Georgia at Wimbledon

Wimbledon ruled, a few months ago, that the participation of Russian and Belarusian tennis players is prohibited due to the attacks of the country led by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. Therefore, Natela Dzalamidze, who was born in Moscow, was banned, but she will compete anyway.

The athlete, who is ranked 43rd in the world, will represent Georgia (her father’s country). In that sense, the athlete will play accompanied by her doubles partner Aleksandra Krunić from Serbia in the tournament that will start on June 27.

In this regard, the vice president of the Georgian Tennis Federation, Alex Metreveli, expressed his happiness upon learning of the tennis player’s decision. “This is good news for the country, for its sport and for popularization”he pointed out in statements to the EFE agency.

“Georgia is known in men’s tennis thanks to Nikoloz Basilashvili. Now we have the opportunity for the Georgian flag to be present in the most prestigious tournaments in women’s tennis”added the authority.

In the same way, Metreveli stressed that the tennis player has had a Georgian background for a long time. “That is to say, she has changed her flag, not her citizenship”expressed

Wimbledon will not distribute points

ATP and WTA (the body in charge of women’s tennis) announced that the Wimbledon tournament, which will be held between June 27 and July 10, will not distribute points in the men’s or women’s circuit. The entities made the decision because the tournament banned Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine.

“The possibility for players of any nationality to participate in tournaments based on merit and without discrimination is fundamental to our Tour. Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP ranking system.” reads in statement.