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ATP Statement on Decision to Ban Russian & Belarusian Players from Wimbledon

By Witherspoon
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Updated: April 20, 2022

Daniil Medvedev of Russia in action during the 4th round match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland at the Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon, Britain 05 July 2021. EPA-EFE/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA EDITORIAL USE ONLY

We strongly condemn Russia’s reprehensible invasion of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people affected by the ongoing war.

Our sport is proud to operate on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments based on the ATP Rankings. We believe that today’s unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year’s British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game. Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings. Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and Member councils.

It is important to stress that players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis. In parallel, we will continue our joint humanitarian support for Ukraine under Tennis Plays for Peace.