Italian Prime Minister is considering aligning with the decisions taken by the All England Club, as a firm stance against the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine
By Cipriano Colonna, translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye
2022 has been a very troubled year for tennis. First the Djokovic affair in Australia and its endless implications, now Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players which has sparked reactions spanning from praise to outrage.
An article in Corriere della Sera, one of the most authoritative Italian newspapers, reports that Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is about to take an equally hard and radical stance on the matter. In fact it seems that he is going to ask the Italian Open to follow the example set by Wimbledon and ban Russian and Byelorussian players from the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.
If such instance were to occur, not only would it result in wreaking havoc in Italian Sport, but also in risking incurring sanctions by ATP and WTA. Rome could even lose its Masters 1000 status.
The article reports how Mario Draghi and Angelo Binaghi, president of Italian Tennis Federation, have completely diverging views. During the presentation press conference of the Italian Open Binaghi had even said: “Before the final, as well as the Italian Anthem we are going to play the Ukrainian one. It would also be nice if a Russian player reached the final”.
The Prime Minister’s perspective is very different, also in consideration of his role and all the responsibilities it involves. Mario Draghi believes that Sport, as the All England Club has shown, can guide and unite peoples and drive our planet towards a message of hope and peace. And also make it clear that whoever crushes freedom by waging war shall be unwaveringly isolated and banned from sport, because an act of aggression towards another Nation breaches Sport’s foundational principles.
