Russian and Belarusian players were barred from Wimbledon 2022 and the LTA's grass-court events; the ATP fined the LTA £820,000, and the ban was lifted in March 2023.
Players from Russia and Belarus were barred from Wimbledon 2022 and from the Lawn Tennis Association's grass-court events. The All England Lawn Tennis Club and the LTA announced the decision on 20 April 2022. Sky Sports reported that Russians and Belarusians were prevented from competing at the LTA's five ATP events: Queen's Club, Eastbourne, Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley.
In a statement dated the same day, the WTA said it was "very disappointed" and that "individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decisions made by the governments of their countries". Sky Sports reported that the ATP and the WTA subsequently stripped Wimbledon of its ranking points.
On 7 December 2022 the ATP fined the LTA £820,000. Sky Sports reported that the LTA was understood to have been threatened with expulsion from the tour if it repeated the ban, and that the WTA had fined the LTA the same amount. Other reports give different figures. On 4 July 2022 the Associated Press, citing a newspaper report, had reported that the WTA's fines came to $1 million in total: $750,000 for the LTA and $250,000 for the All England Club. The Independent reported on 16 April 2023 that the WTA and the ATP together had fined the LTA $1.75 million (approximately £1.4 million).
The LTA said the ATP had shown "no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine". Sky Sports reported that the LTA had appealed the WTA sanction while still considering its response to the ATP fine. The same report records UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan urging the ATP and WTA to reconsider.
The Associated Press reported that on 31 March 2023 the All England Club reversed the ban and allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes, subject to signing declarations of neutrality and complying with "appropriate conditions", including not expressing support for Russia's military action in Ukraine.
Sources
- Sky Sports, 7 December 2022
- WTA, 20 April 2022
- Associated Press, 31 March 2023
- Associated Press (wire report by Howard Fendrich; accessed via republication by KSAT), 4 July 2022
- The Independent (report by Eleanor Crooks), 16 April 2023
- Lawn Tennis Association, Finance and Governance Report 2023 (Chair's Report and Financial Review), 23 May 2024
Where it stands
Reversed: the All England Club lifted the ban on 31 March 2023 and admitted Russian and Belarusian players as neutral athletes on signed declarations. The LTA appealed the WTA sanction and said it was considering its response to the ATP fine. The Independent reported on 16 April 2023 that the appeal should result in $375,000 (approximately £300,000) being paid back after the summer 2023 tournaments, and that the LTA had asked the ATP to reduce its fine and was waiting to hear the outcome. The LTA's Finance and Governance Report for 2023, published on 23 May 2024, says that the £1.4 million it was fined by the WTA and the ATP was later halved, and records a rebate of £0.7 million received in relation to those fines. The report does not say how the rebate was divided between the two fines, and no separate report of the ATP's decision was located. The only fine amount stated in the Sky Sports report is the ATP's £820,000; the report describes the WTA fine only as the same amount, while the Associated Press and The Independent give different figures. The ban was publicly disputed at the time: the WTA, the ATP and the UK Culture Secretary took opposing positions on it.
Grouped in Evidence under: The United Kingdom / Sport and culture