Victoria Azarenka: Wimbledon ban on Russian, Belarusian players 'does not make sense'

The All England Lawn Tennis Club's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at this year's Wimbledon Championships because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has featured Belarus serving as a key staging area for troops and equipment continues to earn criticism from big-name figures. 

According to Reuters (h/t ESPN), Belarus' Victoria Azarenka, who sits on the WTA players' council, hit out at the bans while speaking in Madrid this week.

"If you are asking me if I agree with Wimbledon or I see their reasoning after being on a personal call with them, I don't see their reasoning," the former women's world No. 1 explained. "It does not make sense and it does not connect to what they are saying."

Earlier this month, men's world No. 1 Novak Djokovic said the bans were a "crazy" move.  

"I have made my stance very clear on the issue. I will never, ever support war," Azarenka added during her comments. "I will never support violence. I will never find any justifications for that. That is all I can say right now."

Both the ATP and WTA tours previously released statements condemning the bans. Per Sky Sports, WTA chief Steve Simon recently warned: "I do think that you'll see some strong reactions that will come from us but what those are and how far they'll go is still to be determined." 

As of the final Friday of April, Azarenka was ranked No. 17.