Russian tennis players will be allowed to compete at US Open

The US Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing tournament
war in ukraineWhich one?
Wimbledon prompted to be banned those athletes.

Lew Scher, CEO and executive director of the US Tennis Association, whose group runs the US Open, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that the USTA board “removed Russians and Belarusians from entering the tournament because of concerns about keeping individual athletes.” accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments.”

Sher said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play under neutral flags at Flushing Meadows – an arrangement used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended on June 5.

The US Open begins on August 29 in New York.

Since Russia launched its attacks on Ukraine in February, Russian athletes have been barred from participating in several sports, including football’s World Cup qualifying playoffs. Belarus assisted Russia in the war.

Russia was also excluded from international team events in tennis, the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup. It was the reigning champion of the two.

The All England Club, where main draw games for Wimbledon begin on 27 June, announced in April that it would ban all Russians and Belarusians from their territories – meaning that currently ranked No. K Daniil Medvedev is not eligible to participate. , Medvedev is the current champion of the US Open.

That ban drew immediate criticism from the WTA and ATP professional tennis tours, as well as some key players, such as defending champion Novak Djokovic.

In May, the WTA and ATP said they would not award any ranking points from Wimbledon this year, an unprecedented rebuke from the All England Club. Some players, including four-time major champion and former number one Naomi Osaka, said they would consider pulling out of Wimbledon.

The ATP has said that all points earned at Wimbledon in 2021 will fall from a player’s record and no new points will be earned there this year. The WTA has not decided how last year’s ranking points for All England clubs will be treated, but this time no new points can be added based on a player’s performance.

Sher explained that what happened with Wimbledon – the All England Club’s move to exclude players from certain countries and the reaction to the tours – played no part in the USTA’s choice of letting Russian and Belarusian players go.

“Our discussion was really on the merits of both sides of this argument and really the principles. It was not a business versus an ethical question,” he said. “There are arguments on both sides. Are you being perceived by the government as supporting atrocious acts? And also: Would you hold an individual athlete responsible for this?”

Originally published at Pen 18