Hewitt confirmed that Wimbledon will donate £1 for every ticket sold at the grass-court Grand Slam, which starts on July 3, to the fund which is expected to raise around £500,000.
Hewitt also reiterated that the decision to readmit Russian and Belarusian players to Wimbledon for 2023 “does not diminish our total condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The Wimbledon ticket offer is being promoted in association with the British Red Cross and Merton and Wandsworth local councils.
“We will invite 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to join us for a day at Wimbledon, including tickets, food and drink and transport,” Hewitt said, as quoted by insidethegames.
The initiative follows a similar gesture made last year.
The AELTC and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have also committed to paying the accommodation costs of Ukrainian main draw and qualifying players for the “entire grass season”.
Ukrainian players will also have the opportunity to train at either the AELTC courts or the LTA Sports Base in Surbiton from the time of their last match at the French Open until the start of Wimbledon qualification week on 26 June.
The AELTC confirmed last month that players from Russia and Belarus would be admitted as “neutral athletes”, lifting a ban imposed last year which was criticized by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
“Our announcement was made last month after careful and in-depth consideration,” Hewitt said.
“It was a difficult and challenging decision, which was taken with the full support of the British government and international bodies interested in tennis, but it in no way diminishes our total condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The conditions of entry “prohibit the expression of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in various forms and prohibit the entry of players who receive funding from Russia and/or Belarus.”
This includes sponsorship from companies owned by Russia or Belarus.
Hewitt stated that the AELTC has already received commitments from several players in Russia and Belarus that they will comply with these conditions.
The television rights for the tournament were also withheld from television stations in Russia and Belarus.
In 2022, Wimbledon had been stripped of ranking points by the ATP and WTA after imposing a ban.
Wimbledon also changed its court entry conditions to ban Russian and Belarusian flags from the tournament.
At the Australian Open in January, organizers were forced to ban Russian flags after on-court incidents with spectators.
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