ATP officials announced on Monday that tennis players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to participate in the Queen’s and Eastbourne grass court tournaments, to be held in June, in Britain.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted officials from the British Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Club (LTA), the organization hosting the Wimbledon Open, to ban players from Russia in April and Belarus from grass season in Great Britain.
The ATP, which oversees men’s tournaments, and the WTA, which oversees women’s circuit events, objected to the decision, but the main tournaments had independence from both organizations.
On Monday, the ATP confirmed that the Queen’s and Eastbourne tournaments will take place continue as normal and that they will offer the highest number of points for the Individual Aggregate Ranking. They remain temporarily excluded from Wimbledon.
The ATP said it consulted with organizations representing players and tournaments.
The LTA’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, however, violates ATP rules and impairs the ability of players of any nationality to participate in tournaments based on merit and without discrimination. a basic principle of the ATP circuitATP said in a statement.
Penalties related to violating LTA’s ATP rules are now separately assessed as part of ATP management. The ATP’s response to the Wimbledon decision remains under review, and more information will be provided in due course.
Source: Radio-Canada