Russian tennis players will compete as neutral athletes

The Board of Directors of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have decided to ban Russian athletes from competing under the Russian flag. This was announced by the press services of the organizations. The statement emphasizes that the decision was taken in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

The joint statement said that the name of the country would not be mentioned in the matches with the participation of Russian tennis players. However, the Russians will be able to participate in all international tournaments, including those of the Grand Slam. There will be the same restriction for Belarusian tennis players.

The decision will be in force until the next possible change. The Kremlin Cup tournament, which was to take place in October in Moscow, has also been canceled. Earlier, the International Tennis Federation terminated the membership of the tennis federations of Russia and Belarus and canceled tournaments in these countries.