Novak Djokovic called Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players "crazy."
Chess champion Garry Kasparov clapped back at the world No. 1's response as "especially inappropriate" on social media.
More: Federer Commits to Basel
"Russia may play by ranking, but they kill by nationality," Kasparov posted on Twitter in response to Djkovic's comments. "Russian athletes who do not condemn Putin’s war of extermination in Ukraine are supporting it with silence. And a Serb failing to do so is especially inappropriate, considering history."
Asked about the Wimbledon ban at his home tournament in Belgrade last week, reigning Wimbledon champion Djokovic said "when politics interfere with sports, it usually doesn't turn out well."
“I will always be the first one to condemn the war,” Djokovic said. “As a child of war, I know what kind of emotional trauma a war leaves. Us in Serbia, we know what was happening here in 1999, ordinary people always suffer, we’ve had a lot of wars in the Balkans.”
Djokovic concluded by saying the war is not the fault of the athletes.
“That being said, I cannot support the Wimbledon decision. It’s not the athlete’s fault. When politics interfere with sports, it usually doesn’t turn out well.”
Photo credit: Getty