March 01, (THEWILL) – Tennis players of Russian and Belarusian origins have been suspended from competing in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, although they will be able to compete on the ATP and WTA tournaments as individuals.
However, the decision implies that when on tour and during Grand Slams, such players will be barred from competing under the Russian or Belarusian flags.
The decision comes after Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, launched an invasion of Ukraine, and a day after FIFA and UEFA announced that Russian clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions until further notice as a result of the invasion.
The joint ATP and WTA statement effecting this decision read: “The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions and, as a result, are in agreement with the following decisions and actions.
“The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA/ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.
“The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.
“At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
