ATP Tour slams Wimbledon and the LTA for their decision to ban Russians and Belarussians. Tennis is not in a good place atm, tbh. Not sure what it's worse: who makes the decisions or who communicates them.
ATP Tour slams Wimbledon and the LTA for decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players in official statement
Tennis NewsWednesday, 20 April 2022 at 19:25
Following the decision of Wimbledon and the LTA to ban Russian and Belarussian players the ATP Tour released a statement criticizing the decision.
The decision by Wimbledon and the LTA is a surprising one and it's no wonder that it polarized the wider tennis community. While some have applauded it like several high profile Ukrainian players such as Svitolina and Kostyuk, others have been critical. The ATP Tour released a statement slamming the decision to ban such players calling it a dangerous precedent.
The statement opens with the ATP strongly condemning the actions of Russia and offering solidarity for the innocent people affected. Then it reads:
"Our sport is proud to operate on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments based on the ATP rankings. We believe that today's unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year's British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game."
It further reads:
"Discrimination based on nationality constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings. Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and Member councils."
The statement concludes:
"It is important to stress that players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis."
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