Five-time Wimbledon singles champion Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card for next month’s championships.

Williams, who played mixed doubles at the All England Club last year, has not played in the singles event since 2021 but rolled back the years on Monday to beat Camila Giorgi at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham days after her 43rd birthday.

Williams competes sparingly these days and only played her first tournament since January at a grass-court event in the Netherlands last week before heading to Birmingham.

Her gutsy 7-6 (5), 4-6 7-6 (6) victory over Giorgi in more than three hours on Monday represented a first win over a top-50 opponent since 2019.

Ten singles wild cards have been handed to British male and female players, including Liam Broady and Katie Boulter, while Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina will be involved in Wimbledon after she missed last year’s tournament due to her pregnancy.

Former world number three Svitolina gave birth in October but made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last month in her first grand-slam since becoming a mother.

Svitolina made the last four at Wimbledon in 2021 and could encounter more Russian and Belarussian players in SW19.

She was booed at the French Open after not shaking hands with Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka following her quarter-final exit.

British hopefuls Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Heather Watson have also been given wild cards.

In the men’s singles Ryan Peniston has received a wild card, along with fellow Britons Arthur Fery, Jan Choinski and George Loffhagen, with the trio set to make their main draw debuts at Wimbledon.

Belgian David Goffin, the world number 124, has been handed a wild card following his run to the quarter-finals in 2022, where he lost in five sets to British number one Cameron Norrie.

The All England Club has one more women’s singles and two more men’s singles wild cards to hand out.

Andy Murray’s victory at Nottingham took him to his highest singles ranking in over five years and raised hopes of a Wimbledon seeding.

When Murray was ranked 839th in the world in July 2018 as he recovered from his first hip surgery, challenging at grand slams again seemed a forlorn hope but he has fought back into the world’s top 40.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Scot’s road back.

Ranking history

Back-to-back titles at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy and the Rothesay Open Nottingham have lifted Murray to 38th in the ATP world rankings.

That is his best position since he was listed 34th in the April 23, 2018 update, with a turbulent period in between as Murray battled his hip problems.

He had dropped out of the top 100 by June of that year and to a career low of 839 in the July 16, 2018 edition of the rankings.

He remained outside the top 200 until October 2019 and though he climbed to 102 in July 2021, he ended that year ranked 134th and did not re-enter the top 100 until February 7, 2022 when we was 95th.

He made the top 50 briefly last June and for most of the year from August onwards. After dipping back as low as 70 in February, he has now spent five straight weeks in the top 50 since the May 8 update.

Tournament wins

Murray’s only tournament win on the main ATP Tour since his surgeries came at the 2019 European Open in Antwerp.

That came via an impressive win over fellow three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the final, while his semi-final opponent Ugo Humbert would go on to win the event the following year.

He reached further finals in Sydney and Stuttgart last year and Doha this February, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.

His grass-court wins in Surbiton and Nottingham made it three titles for him on this year’s ATP Challenger Tour, having also won on the clay of Aix-en-Provence in May.

Queen’s record

Murray now takes his form to the biggest grass-court tournament outside of Wimbledon, knowing a deep run in the cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club could earn him a spot among the 32 seeds at SW19.

His past record there offers plenty of encouragement, with a record five titles to his name.

He won the event ahead of his two Wimbledon triumphs in 2013 and 2016 as well as in 2009, 2011 and 2015 to stand alone as Queen’s Club’s most successful player.

He will need to reach at least the quarter-finals this year to have a chance of being seeded at Wimbledon and the less-encouraging omen is his somewhat boom-and-bust record – outside of his five wins he has reached just one other quarter-final, which he lost to Andy Roddick in 2008.

Murray has lost in the last 16 four times – most recently two years ago against Matteo Berrettini – and the last 32 three times with a solitary last-64 exit back in 2006.

Andy Murray knows what he needs to do at Queen’s this week in order to achieve a seeded ranking for Wimbledon.

Murray returns to his favourite stomping ground, where he is a five-time champion, on the back of successive titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 36-year-old’s success in Nottingham took him up to 38 in the world – his highest ranking since his hip operation – and a run to the last four at Queen’s would be enough to take him into the top 32 and guarantee a seeding at SW19.

It will not be easy for Murray, though, as the class in opposition will be a step up from the second tier, beginning with his first-round match with world number 18 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.

“When I made the decision to come and play Nottingham rather than the 250s (ATP Tour tournaments), I was at least going to have to win here and maybe make the semis at Queen’s as well because I did well last year and I have given myself a chance,” said Murray, who is defending ranking points from his run to the final at Stuttgart this time last year.

“I pretty much know what I have to do, and if I make the semis at Queen’s I will definitely make seeding and maybe the quarters may be enough.”

Murray’s double success at Surbiton and Nottingham has seen him play 10 matches in 14 days, a big physical test for him considering he is playing with a metal hip.

The two-time Wimbledon champion will have a light day on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s match-up with Australian De Minaur, whose girlfriend Katie Boulter also won in Nottingham on Sunday.

“It has been tough, I found Sunday’s match hard, two quite late finishes and then a big change by playing at 11am, a completely different preparation,” Murray added.

“But I am going completely match tight, I make sure I do all the right recovery stuff. I will treat Monday as a day off and get ready for Tuesday.

“He (De Minaur) loves playing on the grass, a lot of the Aussies do. It is not going to be easy, he makes you work very hard and is quick around the court. He is a very good returner.”

Andy Murray continued his excellent preparation for Wimbledon with a second successive title.

The former world number one followed up his win at Surbiton last week with a flawless display to lift the Rothesay Nottingham Open.

Murray beat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-4 6-4 in the final to make it 10 wins in a row.

That is his best sequence since 2017, when he still topped the world rankings and was not playing with a metal hip.

And he will now head to his favourite stomping ground at Queen’s, where another good week will see him improve his ranking enough to be seeded at SW19.

He made it through the week at Nottingham without dropping a set, but it was a second-tier Challenger event so he will receive a truer test of where his game is at next week at Queen’s, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune all in the draw.

However, on the evidence of his movement, serving and matchplay this week, he looks a good bet to enjoy his best run at Wimbledon since he hobbled out of the 2017 quarter-finals with the hip injury that derailed his career.

His physicality was tested here as he won his semi-final at 6.30pm on Saturday night but was back on at 11am for the final, which was brought forward owing to the threat of rain on Sunday afternoon.

He hit the ground running, though, breaking the world number 181 in the opening game before eventually seeing the first set out 6-4.

The second set was much tighter, owing to Cazaux’s big serve, but Murray broke at 4-4 and then served it out to get his hands on the trophy.

Heather Watson says it is difficult not to feel “hard done by” after a year of struggle on the tour following her career-best Wimbledon performance last season.

The 31-year-old produced the best grand slam display of her singles career in 2022 when she made the second week for the first time, eventually going out in the fourth round.

But it counted for nothing in the rankings as the WTA and ATP stripped the tournament of points in response to the decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

In normal circumstances Watson would have received 240 points, which would have seen her ranking soar and then seen her gain automatic entry into other tournaments, but the reality saw her scratching around on the second-tier ITF Tour and she has not played in a grand slam since.

“It wasn’t Wimbledon’s fault, it wasn’t their choice but yeah, I do feel a little bit hard done by,” Watson, who beat Jule Niemeier in the first round at the Nottingham Open, told the PA news agency.

“It’s not their fault, but I wish I had the points, it would have been a very different story, but hey-ho.

“I feel like that after Wimbledon I went from an all-time high in my career and then not being awarded any points there really affected my tournament entries, being main draw in grand slams, I probably would have been main draw for the rest of the year and it just had a domino effect.

“I couldn’t get into WTA tournaments so I was playing ITFs and I was winning them all but the points are rubbish so it doesn’t help my ranking at all.

“You are playing top 100 girls in the ITF and I feel like dropping down to play was good for matches and you were playing players who aren’t the same level, but the strength in depth in women’s tennis has grown so much. Rankings-wise it has been a real rubbish year but I have actually won more matches.”

Her win over Niemeier in Nottingham will do little to boost her current ranking of 195, which will leave her needing a wild card if she is to get direct entry into this year’s event at SW19.

Asked whether she will have to qualify, she said: “I don’t know, I have applied for a wild card so I hope I get one.”

Fellow Brit Sonay Kartal is out, though, after a three-set loss to Pole Magdalena Frech.

The British number eight fought back after losing the first set, but Frech came on strong in the decider to ease through 6-3 5-7 6-2.

Top seed and world number eight Maria Sakkari beat Xiyu Wang 6-2 7-6 (6).

There are a host of home players in action on Tuesday, with new British number one Katie Boulter, who has taken over from Emma Raducanu, takes on compatriot Emily Appleton, with Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Jodie Burrage also due on court.

Andy Murray will also be in action in the men’s Challenger event, fresh from his win at Surbiton last week.

Murray claimed his first title on home soil since Wimbledon in 2016 and is looking to build on that ahead of next month’s event at SW19.

The 36-year-old took part in a light practice on Monday with coach Ivan Lendl by his side.

Andy Murray congratulated Novak Djokovic on his French Open triumph before joking he hoped the 23-time grand slam singles champion would now “take his eye off the ball” in the build-up to Wimbledon.

Both men enjoyed successful Sundays, with Murray stepping up his preparations for SW19 in style with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Austrian Jurij Rodionov in the men’s final of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.

Murray’s victory earned him a seeded position at Wimbledon next month, with the 36-year-old now eyeing a third title at his home grand slam after lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2016.

Djokovic, meanwhile, moved alone at the pinnacle of men’s tennis by defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the Roland Garros final.

“I’m not saying he makes it look easy but he makes it look a lot more easy than it should,” Murray said of the Serbian.

“I am happy for him, he deserves it. When he beat me in the final of the (2016) French Open he lost motivation so maybe he can take his eye off the ball for the next few weeks heading into Wimbledon!

“But congratulations to him – it’s an incredible achievement.”

Murray, who said he was heading up to Nottingham on Sunday evening and planning some “light” practice on Monday, showcased a powerful shot collection to dismantle Rodionov en route to his first title on home soil in seven years.

The Scot’s serve was a vital weapon on the day and his intricate shot selection left his opponent at times scrambling across the turf in the sweltering conditions.

And Murray, who was backed by a fervent Surbiton crowd, began to punish the Austrian with classy forehands which forced errors from his opponent as he took a firmer grip on the tie.

The number two seed continued to bombard Rodionov with a series of quality serves just before a heavy downpour suspended play, which offered some much-needed respite to both players after temperatures reached 29 degrees.

Play resumed nearly three hours later and Murray quickly reasserted himself on his unseeded opponent to close out the match, much to the delight of the Surbiton crowd.

Murray was pleased with his win, but was not resting on his laurels and said he would continue to “strive for more”.

“Winning any tournament is hard,” said the former world number one, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years including hip and abdominal issues.

“The journey of getting back to this point has been tough and I think I played some good tennis at times this week and tennis what will give me a good opportunity, especially if I serve like that against most players and I am excited about that.

“It’s taken a long time to get back to this place and a lot of work with some tough losses, but I’ve kept working and believing.”

He continued: “I didn’t know if I would be playing again, and I am fortunate to be back competing again at a high level.

“I don’t want to downplay this tournament because winning any tournament is great and winning tournaments at any level is not easy, but I still strive for more. I believe there is more in me so hopefully I can achieve that in the next few weeks.”

Earlier, Yanina Wickmayer prevented Katie Swan from securing the British number one spot after coming back from a set down to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 (1) in the women’s final.

In a courtside interview broadcast by the LTA, Swan said: “I feel like it was a high-level match all the way through.

“It was tough because as soon as I dropped my levels slightly she was all over me and I had to maintain that for as long as I could. It was so tough but it was really high level overall.

“She is in unbelievable shape, I don’t know how she can be that good after having a baby. I think it’s incredible what she’s doing.”

Russian and Belarusian players are experiencing delays obtaining UK visas in time for Wimbledon.

The All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association reversed last year’s ban on competitors from the two countries following the invasion of Ukraine but there appears a chance some may not make it anyway.

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva is due to make her Wimbledon debut in qualifying but said after losing to Coco Gauff in the third round in Paris on Saturday that she was still waiting to be granted a visa.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has also spoken about not having received her visa while world number two Daniil Medvedev pointedly said “if I’m able to come to UK to play Wimbledon” when talking about the grass-court season.

The Home Office is carrying out additional checks on Russian and Belarusian nationals, extending a wait that is currently at least six weeks, while fast-track options are not available to people from the two countries.

Wimbledon begins on July 3 and, speaking after reaching the French Open quarter-finals, Russian Karen Khachanov, who still has a visa from previous years, said: “I heard that it takes much longer to issue the visa.”

Under normal circumstances, Andreeva would be a strong candidate for a Wimbledon wild card, but it appears hugely unlikely the All England Club would offer such help at the moment.

Fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, is set to miss the tournament because she is not currently ranked high enough to get into the main draw or qualifying.

Pavlyuchenkova is a former French Open finalist but was sidelined long term following knee surgery.

She is showing strong form in Paris, making it through to the quarter-finals, and was asked whether she could seek a wild card.

Pavlyuchenkova said incredulously: “Are you serious? Do you think after the situation last year they would give me a wildcard this year?”

Emma Raducanu is set to miss Wimbledon and the whole grass-court season after undergoing minor surgery.

The 2021 US Open champion has encountered several fitness problems in recent months and pulled out of the Madrid Open last month with a hand injury.

And the 20-year-old said she has had a minor procedure on both hands and on her ankle in an effort to resolve the issue.

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“It is safe to say the last 10 months have been difficult as I dealt with a recurring injury on a bone of both hands,” Raducanu wrote on Instagram alongside a picture after her surgery.

“I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it for most of this year and end of last year by reducing practice load dramatically, missing weeks of training as well as cutting last season short to try heal it.

“Unfortunately it’s not enough. I’m having a minor procedure done on both hands to resolve the issues.

“I’m disappointed to share that I will be out for the next few months and while I am at it will have another minor procedure that is due on my ankle.

“It pains me that I will miss the summer events and I tried to downplay the issues so I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you did not know the facts.

“Look forward to seeing you all back out there.”

World number one Iga Swiatek believes tennis authorities missed the opportunity to take a stand against the war in Ukraine by banning Russian and Belarusian players.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year – which was aided by Belarus – players from both countries were barred from competing at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon was the only grand slam to implement a ban, however, and affected players will be able to return to SW19 this year as neutral athletes after the All England Club reversed the move.

While Swiatek acknowledges a ban may be harsh on Russian and Belarusian players, she feels the sport missed a chance to send a strong message to Vladimir Putin's regime by enacting such a measure. 

"I heard that after World War II, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it," she told the BBC.

"I know it's a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world, but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda.

"This is something that was considered at the beginning, tennis didn't really go that way, but now it would be pretty unfair for Russian and Belarusian players to do that, because this decision was supposed to be made a year ago.

"I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war."

On her Russian and Belarusian colleagues, Swiatek added: "It's not their fault they have a passport like that, but on the other hand, we all have some kind of impact.

"I feel like anything that would help stop the Russian aggression, we should go that way in terms of the decisions the federations are making."

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at this year's Wimbledon after the All England Club (AELTC) reversed its ban from the previous year.

Players from those nations were banned from competing in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the support provided to Russia by Belarus. 

The lifting of the ban does come with certain conditions, with players only allowed to compete if they do so as a "neutral" athlete and without funding from either state or state-run organisations. 

Players and support staff will also have to sign neutrality declarations and will be barred from showing any "expressions of support" for the ongoing war in Ukraine.

"We continue to condemn totally Russia's illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine," said AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt.

"This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.

"It is our view that, considering all factors, these are the most appropriate arrangements for The Championships for this year. 

"We are thankful for the government's support as we and our fellow tennis stakeholder bodies have navigated this complex matter and agreed on conditions we believe are workable.

"If circumstances change materially between now and the commencement of The Championships, we will consider and respond accordingly."

The AELTC said the move came about after intense discussions with the UK government, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and international stakeholder bodies in tennis.

It also confirmed the change in policy was a response to the "strong and very disappointing reaction" to last year's ban as well as the organisation having witnessed a year of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing neutrally on the tour circuit.

The LTA was the only organisation to bar athletes from those nations from competing in their events and was fined $1million by the WTA for the move.

The reversal of the decision will allow previously banned athletes to compete in the grand slam as well as the other events in the run-up to Wimbledon at Queen's Club and Eastbourne. 

Andy Murray expects Russian and Belarusian players to feature at Wimbledon in 2023, though he understands if the ban is upheld.

Last year, players from both nations were prevented from participating following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ban resulting in Wimbledon being stripped of ranking points.

Additionally, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) was fined £1.4million by the ATP and WTA due to players being excluded.

It is yet to be announced whether the ban will remain in place for this year's competition, though Murray expects there to be no such limitations.

"It's a really difficult one and I do feel for the players who weren't able to play last year – but I also understand the situation and why it's really hard for Wimbledon to make a call on it as well," he told BBC Sport.

"My understanding is that they are going to be allowed to play and I'm not going to be going nuts if that is the case.

"But if Wimbledon went down another route, I would be understanding of that."

Murray's comments came at Indian Wells, where he faces Tomas Etcheverry on Thursday, with the potential of an all-British affair against Dan Evans or Jack Draper in the third round.

Evans and Draper will face off in the second round if the latter beats Leandro Riedi, while Murray would have to defeat Etcheverry and Pablo Carreno Busta to set up a tussle with either of his compatriots.

But Murray insists he is not looking that far ahead.

"To be honest, I don't really care that much. Obviously, I can see why it's interesting, and if Evo [Evans] plays against Jack I'll be interested in the match," he added.

"But I'm not particularly bothered by it and for me it's not going to impact me until the third round. I need to get there and this is not always a tournament where I have played amazingly."

The Professional Tennis Players Association is committed to equal pay for men and women at grand slam level, according to the man who teamed up with Novak Djokovic to launch the organisation.

Vasek Pospisil, whose on-court doubles efforts helped Canada win the Davis Cup for the first time in November, said the PTPA would "fight for both sides" in its efforts to improve players' prospects throughout the sport.

The breakaway union has caused controversy, with the ATP and WTA, which run the men's and women's tours, adamant they already have significant player representation when it comes to making decisions in the best interests of tennis.

Djokovic quit as president of the ATP player council to become the figurehead of the PTPA, which was launched at the height of the pandemic during the 2020 US Open.

There was initial criticism of the PTPA when no women appeared to be involved.

However, Pospisil said at the time discussions were ongoing, and ahead of the upcoming Australian Open, its first executive committee was unveiled, consisting of four men and four women.

Joining Djokovic and Pospisil are Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner, plus WTA players Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Zheng Saisai.

Pay has been equal at all the grand slams since 2007, when Wimbledon announced it would reward women the same amount it pays men.

Asked about equal pay at the four majors and the PTPA's position, Pospisil told Stats Perform: "From day one, we always knew that this would only be successful with the women, and that has always been our goal. And so we're really happy that we're gaining a lot of traction now on the women's side.

"Currently, there is equal pay at the grand slam level, I believe, so that's obviously amazing.

"It is a joint organisation, both men and women, and we'll do everything to fight for both sides.

"Obviously, they're separate tours. The WTA, ATP, and grand slams are joined, of course. So, the staff will have their hands full with trying to advocate for both sides.

"It's a unified player association for both men and women, and we're really proud of that and where we're going."

Those already involved, and those the PTPA will hope to attract, are being advised the union is aiming to bolster the rights – and at the bottom line, the earning potential – of all involved.

There is currently significantly more money on offer on the ATP tour than on the WTA circuit, which points to issues of inequality remaining in the sport.

It has been known in recent times for some high-profile tournaments, where tours converge, to pay its men's champion more than its title-winning woman. This is despite events on both tours being best-of-three-set matches, whereas in the slams women play best-of-three and men play best-of-five, a matter that has long been a trigger for equal-pay debate.

Pospisil believes the WTA has a "smart and passionate" group of eight on its ExCo and said the "energy was amazing" when the group met for dinner on Thursday in Melbourne.

"I just have such a good feeling after a few years of working on this," Pospisil said. "To finally be at the stage where we're ready to go, are launching, got everything we need, and we have amazing player board reps that honestly we couldn't be happier with."

Djokovic, a 21-time singles grand slam winner, is at the forefront, and Pospisil said the 35-year-old Serbian's role has been crucial.

"I feel like you need somebody that is at the top of the sport," Pospisil said. "So, I just think all the players and our organisation, we're very lucky that he's so supportive and that he's stuck his neck out and is fighting for what he believes in and what he believes is right."

Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players taking part last year was unjust and changed nothing regarding the war in Ukraine, believes Aryna Sabalenka.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) barred players from both countries appearing at SW19 – a decision that saw the organisation fined by the ATP last month.

World number five Sabalenka joined the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Victoria Azarenka in being excluded, and she believes the ban was both unfair and pointless.

"This is really terrible because no one supports war – no one," Sabalenka told The Age of the ban. "I'm just really disappointed sport is somehow in politics. 

"We're just athletes playing their sport. That's it. We're not about politics. If all of us could do something [about the war], we would do it, but we have zero control.

"They banned us from Wimbledon, and what did it change? Nothing. [The Russian government] are still doing this, and this is the sad part of this situation."

The LTA is yet to say whether similar measures will be in place this year, and Sabalenka is hopeful of a return after missing the atmosphere at SW19 in 2022.

"I really missed the people because the atmosphere at Wimbledon is super amazing," she said. "You can feel these people really love tennis there, and I really miss them.

"I really hope that I'll play there, just because of the people, to feel this atmosphere. If they're going to ban us again... I don't care about Wimbledon's decision. The only thing I'll miss is the people."

Nick Kyrgios could "just retire" if he wins a grand slam in the upcoming 2023 season.

The Australian had one of his best years yet in 2022, winning three doubles titles and also collecting the Washington Open singles final in August.

However, Kyrgios fell short again at the season's grand slams despite reaching the Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in four sets.

With the Australian Open, Kyrgios' home tournament and first grand slam of the year, less than a month away, the 27-year-old could call it quits should he win a maiden grand slam.

Speaking between matches at an exhibition event, Kyrgios told reporters: "Hopefully I can win a Slam and just retire.

"Would I sign again? Honestly, I don't know about it.

"It took a lot of hard work this [2022] season, a lot of discipline and it seems the better you do, everyone wants a bit more of you and it becomes more stressful.

"But I had a lot of fun this season. And I’m finally just proud to say I made a Slam final and started to meet some expectations. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed it, definitely felt better off and on the court."

It is not the first time Kyrgios has suggested an early retirement, having stated in October he will "probably not" play past the age of 30.

Cameron Norrie is hoping Russian players will be allowed to return to Wimbledon in 2023, saying he wants "the best players in the world to be playing".

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Russian players were banned from participating at SW19.

This meant the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were not able to play and compete for the third grand slam of the year, which Novak Djokovic ended up winning for the seventh time.

The tournament was stripped of ranking points as a result of the ban on Russians, a decision that was met with much frustration from players.

Medvedev and Rublev finished a respective seventh and eighth in the year-end ATP rankings, and both took part in the ATP Finals in Turin.

Norrie hopes they are able to return to Wimbledon next year, telling reporters: "For me, I want the best players in the world to be playing.

"I felt last year was tough for those guys, especially for Daniil and for Andrey, who have a chance of winning Wimbledon.

"I know how much those guys sacrificed with their careers and their goals are obviously very high to be winning Slams.

"So I really did feel bad for those guys."