Following the IOC, FIFA and other major professional sports leagues, the international governing bodies of tennis, ATP, WTA and ITF, on Tuesday morning issued a statement addressing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has been aided by Belarus.
Condemning the violence and calling “for peace to return,” 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.”
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Those include the men’s Davis Cup and women’s Billie Jean King Cup, for both of which the Russian Tennis Federation is the reigning champion.
Meanwhile, “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.”
The tennis organizations also are cancelling the ATP/WTA Moscow event that had been scheduled for October.
Today’s announcement follows an appeal by the world’s highest-ranked Ukrainian tennis player, Elina Svitolina, who yesterday announced that due to the Russian invasion of her country, she would not play a “match against Russian or Belarussian [sic] tennis players until our organizations take this necessary decision.”
She called for the ATP, WTA and ITF to treat Russian players as the IOC does, as “neutral athletes, without displaying any national symbols, colours, flags or anthems.”
The announcement also follows the big celebration by the ATP yesterday of Russian Daniil Medvedev becoming the first non-Big 4 tennis player in 18 years to reach No.1, which was under a cloud because of Russia’s invasion.
It also comes as the top male and female tennis players, including many Russian and Belarusian stars, led by Medvedev, are arriving in Indian Wells for one of the top tournaments of the year.
With the compromise — only barring Russian and Belarusian tennis players from team competitions — the tennis governing bodies did not fully follow International Olympic Committee’s appeal yesterday to exclude the two countries’ athletes and officials from international events. The solution allows for tournaments to keep some of the biggest draws, with highly ranked Russian and Belarusian players able to play.
Here is the full statement:
A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the past week. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we commend the many tennis players who have spoken out and taken action against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their calls for the violence to end and peace to return.
The safety of the tennis community is our most immediate collective priority. The focus of the WTA and ATP in particular in recent days has been on contacting current and former players, and other members of the tennis community from Ukraine and neighbouring countries, to check on their safety and offer any assistance.
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.
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