On Wednesday, the All England Lawn and Tennis Club announced that Wimbledon would ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament, making it the first tennis event that have banned players regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Women’s Tennis Association responded to Wimbledon’s ban saying that although they condemn Russia’s invasion, the organization does not believe punishing players for the actions of their home country is right. Therefore, the WTA will not be banning Russian and Belarusian players from any tour events.
“We are, however, very disappointed in today’s announcement by the AELTC and the LTA to ban individual athletes who are from Russia and Belarus from competing in the upcoming UK grass court events,” the WTA’s statement read.