ATP-WTA-ITF Call Fault On Wimbledon Decision To Ban Russians From Grand Slam

By Barry Janoff

May 20, 2022: Stating that the “ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental,” the ATP Tour, Hologic WTA Tour and the International Tennis Federation took a major step in response to the recent decision by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Lawn Tennis Association to ban players from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Wimbledon Grand Slam.

AELTC and LTA said in April they made the decision to ban players “given the position taken by the U.K. Government to limit Russia's global influence” following Russia’s armed invasion, aided by Belarus, of Ukraine in February.

Because of that, ATP, WTA and ITF now said they would “remove ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022,” a significant impact on the Grand Slam event.

“We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA and do not underestimate the difficult decisions faced in responding to recent UK Government guidance,” ATP Tour executives said via the organization.

“Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.”

In response, the All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships said via the groups, “We appreciate that opinions differ in relation to our decision to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships this year, and we deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected.

“(However), we wish to state our deep disappointment at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for The Championships. We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who compete on Tour.

“We are considering our options, and we are reserving our position at this stage. We are also in discussion with our Grand Slam colleagues.”

Wimbledon’s decision to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus impacts players including men’s No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda; and women’s No. 7 Arena Sabalenka, No. 15 Victoria Azarenka, No. 20 Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Liudmila Samsonova.

The loss of essential points at Wimbledon includes on the men’s singles side include 2,000 for the winner, 1,200 for the runner-up,  720 for semi-finalists and 360 for quarterfinalists.

Points that won’t be earned on the women’s singles side include 2,000 for winning, 1,300 for the runner-up, 780 for semi-finalist and 430 for quarterfinalists.

Prize money will not be impacted, nor will the honor for players who win the Grand Slam event, scheduled for June 27-July 19.

Prize money is equal for winner’s of the men’s and women’s title: $2,123,548 each.

Runners-up will earn $1,124, 231 each; semi-finalists $580,853 each.

Organizers for the Roland Garros Grand Slam in Paris, scheduled for May 22-June 5, are allowing players from Russia and Belarus to compete but without any references to nationality, flags, symbols or other country marks.

The U.S. Tennis Assn. has not yet made a decision regarding the U.S. Open Grand Slam in New York, scheduled to start Aug. 29, according to AP Sports.

“The USTA respects the difficult position that Wimbledon faced in its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players,” spokesman Chris Widmaier wrote in an e-mail to AP Sports.

“We also respect the grounds on which both the men’s and women’s tours responded, though we believe their decision to withdraw points from all those who play Wimbledon this year is disproportionately severe due to the extreme and unique situation Wimbledon faced when making its decision.”

Regarding Wimbledon, Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, said via the organization, “The atrocities happening to millions of innocent people in Ukraine because of Russia’s unprovoked invasion are horrific and appalling. The WTA strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing attack. First and foremost, we want nothing more than for peace and the war in Ukraine to end.

“Nearly 50 years ago, the WTA was founded on the fundamental principle that all players have an equal opportunity to compete based on merit and without discrimination.  The WTA believes that individual athletes participating in an individual sport should not be penalized or prevented from competing solely because of their nationalities or the decisions made by the governments of their countries.

“The recent decisions made by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Lawn Tennis Association to ban athletes from competing in the upcoming U.K. grass-court events violate that fundamental principle, which is clearly embodied in the WTA rules, the Grand Slam rules and the agreement the WTA has with the Grand Slams.

The ITF said it would not grant its ranking points for the junior and wheelchair events at Wimbledon this year, explaining that “tournament organizers are not permitted to unilaterally impose entry criteria.”

According to the All England Club, “We were not prepared to take any actions which could risk the personal safety of players, or their families.

“In addition, we remain unwilling to accept success or participation at Wimbledon being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime, which, through its closely controlled State media, has an acknowledged history of using sporting success to support a triumphant narrative to the Russian people.

“We therefore wish to state our deep disappointment at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for The Championships. We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who compete on Tour.

“In the meantime, we remain focused on our exciting plans for The Championships this year.”

Wimbledon Bans Russia, Belarus From Grand Slam

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