British tennis bosses expressed their dismay and accused the ATP of a 'surprising lack of empathy' towards Ukraine as they were slapped with a huge fine and threatened with expulsion for banning Russian and Belarusian players.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) banned Russian and Belarusian tennis stars from their tournaments this summer on the advice of the UK government after Vladimir Putin ’s invasion of Ukraine.
The LTA's decision prevented the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev from competing in tournaments at Queen’s Club, Eastbourne, Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley. And the LTA governing body has now been struck with a $1million (£823,000) fine for imposing the bans by the ATP Tour - the men's professional tennis circuit.
This financial hit was taken by the LTA after the organisation was already fined by the women's tour, the WTA, for suspending female players from grass court events in Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne. The WTA fine is currently under appeal.
The LTA are also now considering a response to the heavy ATP sanction after also being warned that their membership could be revoked if suspensions are repeated next year.
Wimbledon avoided a similar financial hit despite the All England Club (AELTC) concluding that Russians and Belarusians could not compete at SW19 this summer, but the Grand Slam's ranking points were still removed in the July tournament.
“We’re deeply disappointed with this outcome, an LTA statement read .“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 statement continued: “We will carefully consider our response and we await the outcome of our appeal against the WTA’s decision and sanction.”
The All England Club are set to convene in February and March to decide whether their ban on Russians and Belarusians will remain in place at Wimbledon if Ukraine remains occupied.
The Grand Slams in Australia, France and the United States allowed all Russian and Belarusian players to compete under a neutral flag this year. But Wimbledon bosses will again be influenced by the UK government and may still advised on a repeated ban for the 2023 championships - which would ultimately have consequences for British tennis.
