紐時賞析／網球與政治關係崎嶇不平 光今年就捲入三個國際事件

Once Again, Tennis Is Disrupted by Politics

網球再度遭到政治干擾

If he had it to do over, Brad Gilbert would never have played a professional tennis tournament in South Africa while the country was embroiled in apartheid.

假如美國職業網球選手吉爾伯特能夠重來，他不會在南非還實施種族隔離制度時，參加那裡的職業網球錦標賽。

Martina Navratilova has never regretted challenging Czechoslovakia’s Communist government by defecting to the United States in 1975, but she wishes she had been able to persuade her parents and younger sister to come with her.

捷克職業網球選手娜拉提洛娃，從不後悔在一九七五年藉由叛逃到美國，挑戰捷克斯洛伐克共產黨政府，不過她希望當年能說服雙親和妹妹跟著她來。

And Cliff Drysdale, the first president of the ATP, the men’s pro players association, is still in awe of his fellow pros for agreeing to boycott Wimbledon in 1973 when Croatian player Nikola Pilic was suspended by his native Yugoslav Tennis Federation, which said he refused to play for Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup in New Zealand.

職業男網選手協會「職業網球聯合會」首任主席德萊斯代爾，仍然敬佩他的同輩職網球員同意在一九七三年抵制溫布頓網球錦標賽，當時克羅埃西亞選手皮里奇被他出身的南斯拉夫網球聯盟暫停溫網參賽資格，聯盟說，皮里奇拒絕代表南斯拉夫參加在紐西蘭舉行的台維斯盃。

Tennis and politics have long had a craggy relationship. This year alone, the sport has been embroiled in three international incidents: Novak Djokovic’s deportation from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open because he did not have a COVID-19 vaccination, the Women’s Tennis Association canceling all tournaments in China after accusations by Peng Shuai that she was sexually assaulted by a high-ranking government official, and Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players because of the war in Ukraine. The WTA and the ATP subsequently stripped this year’s Wimbledon of all ranking points.

網球與政治的關係一直崎嶇不平。單是今年，這項運動就捲入三個國際事件：塞爾維亞名將約克維奇因為沒接種新冠疫苗，在澳洲網球公開賽前夕被逐出澳洲；中國大陸女將彭帥指控一名政府高官性侵她後，國際女子網球協會取消在中國大陸所有錦標賽；以及溫網因烏克蘭戰爭禁止俄國和白俄羅斯選手參賽。國際女子網球協會和職業網球聯合會隨後取消今年溫網所有排名積分。

As this tournament begins, five male players ranked in the world’s top 50, including No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev, both Russians, will be absent because of the Wimbledon ban. Also banned are Russians Karen Khachanov, ranked No. 22, and Aslan Karatsev, No. 43; and Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, No. 40.

這場錦標賽開始之際，世界排名前50的選手中，五名男選手將因這道溫布頓禁令缺席，包括排名第一的梅德維夫和第八的羅布雷夫，都是俄國人。被禁的還有兩名俄國人，排名第22的卡查諾夫和第43的克拉特塞夫，以及排名第40的白俄人伊華舒卡。

For the women, 13 players who would have qualified are not allowed to play, including Russians Daria Kasatkina, ranked No. 13, No. 22 Veronika Kudermetova and No. 83 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 2021 French Open runner-up; and Belarusians Aryna Sabalenka, No. 6 and a semifinalist last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and No. 20 Victoria Azarenka, a former world No. 1.

在女選手方面，13名符合資格者不准參賽，包括三名俄國人，排名第13的卡薩金娜、第22的庫德梅托娃和第83、2021年法國網球公開賽亞軍帕莉歐申可娃，以及兩名白俄人，排名第六、打入去年溫網和美國網球公開賽準決賽的莎芭蓮卡，還有前世界球后、目前第20的艾薩蘭卡。

The U.S. Tennis Association has already announced that players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open in August, although not under their nations’ flags.

美國網球協會已宣布，俄國和白俄選手將獲准參加8月美網公開賽，但不能代表他們自己的國家。

“Our sport is always going to be subjected to political forces,” said Drysdale, an ESPN commentator since the network’s inception in 1979. “There’s always something coming around the corner and rearing its head.”

從ESPN電視台1979年創立後就擔任其評論員的德萊斯代爾說：「我們的運動總會承受政治力，總有些事情很快就會冒出來。」

文／Cindy Shmerler 譯／李京倫