Karen Khachanov has shown immense potential over the last few years. He has been a constant presence alongside his compatriots, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the elite group of players in men’s singles. He had a memorable year on the tour in 2021, winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, he enjoyed a consistent run across big tournaments and was a quarterfinalist at last year’s Wimbledon.

Earlier this week, Wimbledon announced a huge decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament this year. Impacting some of the top players like Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka along with Khachanov, this decision was taken amidst the heightening tensions in Eastern Europe.

Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tennis calendar and every player’s dream to play at  SW 19. However, this decision will severely affect the athletes from the two nations. Recently, Karen Khachanov has reacted to this grim news.

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Karen Khachanov devastated at Wimbledon’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus

The former World Number 8 is currently in Belgrade to participate at the Serbia Open. During an interview, he shared his feelings about missing this year’s Wimbledon Championships. He said, “About Wimbledon, obviously, I’m just really sad – really sad, disappointed, devastated that these things are happening right now for everybody, you know, and that we came to this point. I mean, I cannot…”

Further, he added, “For me, it’s one of the nicest tournaments in the world. You know, it’s special. I had a good run there last year – I played the quarterfinals. And, you know, I’m just really sad that I will be not able to compete there and give my best in one of the biggest tournaments during the year that we have, these four grand slams. So yeah, like I mentioned, I’m really sad that the decision was taken yesterday.”

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Khachanov has reached the semifinals of the Serbia Open. Yesterday, he overcame the challenge of Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in straight sets. Khachanov will now lock horns against World No.1, Novak Djokovic, in a mouth-watering clash for a spot in the final in Belgrade. Their match will take place tomorrow.