Men’s tennis tour the ATP has criticized the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Wimbledon tournament, describing the step as “unfair” and suggesting it was discriminatory.
Officials at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) – which organizes the grass court Grand Slam showpiece – confirmed on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian stars would not be welcome at the event, claiming “it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships.”
The UK’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) also announced it was barring Russian and Belarusian players from any tournaments this summer to show “that British tennis is delivering a consistent approach across all events.”