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Former World No. 11 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is a Russian women's tennis player with 20 years of experience on the professional circuit. She doesn't have a flag beside her name while competing at Wimbledon due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian players were banned from the hallowed grasscourt Major in 2022 as well as other tournaments in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of war. In an unprecedented move, the ATP, WTA and the ITF jointly announced their decision to not award points for Wimbledon that year. It was the first time players were disallowed to compete on the grounds of nationality following World War II when German and Japanese players were meted out the same treatment.
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Pavlyuchenkova was among the 16 singles players in the top 100 of the world rankings affected by the ban, alongside the likes of Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev. While Ukrainian players supported the decision, the move was widely criticized by top players including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
A year later in 2023, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) rescinded its ban. Players from the two countries were allowed to take part in the tournament with no flag after signing a “personal declaration of neutrality”. The same continues this year as well.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova into 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon
For Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, this has been a dream fortnight at SW19. Nine years after reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time, she has made the last eight once again. This is the biggest gap between two Wimbledon quarterfinals in women's singles, with two-time Major winner Mary Pierce being the only other player to achieve this.
In a resurgent season in Slams, the 34-year-old also came this far at the Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. Her scintillating run at Wimbledon has been even more remarkable considering she was diagnosed with Lyme's disease just before Indian Wells.
Putting her health struggles behind her, the Russian has showed renewed focus and motivation. Beating the likes of Naomi Osaka, 31st seed Ashlyn Krueger, Ajla Tomljanovic, and home hope Sonay Kartal, she is now into her 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal overall.
Standing between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and a maiden berth in the Wimbledon semifinals is the in-form 13th seed Amanda Anisimova. The veteran Russian knows she has to dig deep if she wants to break new grounds at the grasscourt Slam.
