The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has decided to fine Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) $1 million for banning players from Russia and Belarus from events in England.
LTA, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, banned players from the two countries from Wimbledon and the tournaments leading up to the third grand slam of the year.
The body’s decision drew criticism from around the world, including current and former players.
Wimbledon was the only grand slam which banned players from Russia and Belarus with US Open, Australian Open and French Open allowing their athletes to compete under neutral flags.
The ATP said in April that the “unilateral decision” by Wimbledon to exclude players from Russia and Belarus was unfair and could potentially set a damaging precedent for the game.
The governing body of men’s tennis also divested the Grandslam from ranking points.
“The LTA is deeply disappointed with this,” the LTA said in a statement.
“The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the international sporting community and UK Government’s response to that invasion”.
“The ATP appear to regard this matter as a straightforward breach of their rules — with a surprising lack of empathy shown for the situation in Ukraine, and a clear lack of understanding of the unique circumstances the LTA faced.”
The LTA had already been fined 620,000 pounds by the WTA, which governs women’s tennis, earlier this year for banning women from the two countries from participating in tennis events in England.
