ATP Tour fines UK’s LTA $1 million for banning Russian and Belarusian players

The LTA was already levied a fine of $750,000 by the WTA Tour on the same grounds a few months ago

Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships Image Credit: AI/Reuters/Panoramic

December 7, 2022

The U.K.’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have been fined $1million by the ATP Tour for its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournaments during the grass court season this summer.

Due to the LTA’s decision, no ranking points were awarded at this year’s Wimbledon.

The decision by the ATP Tour comes after the women’s WTA Tour levied a $750,000 penalty in July on account of the same reasons.

LTA says financial impact of fines will have a material impact on ability to develop and host tennis in UK

In a statement released, the LTA said the decision was disappointing and could impact their ability to develop and host more tennis events in the first quarter of 2023.

“The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [and] appear to regard this matter as a straightforward breach of their rules – with a surprising lack of empathy shown for the situation in Ukraine, and a clear lack of understanding of the unique circumstances the LTA faced,” the statement read.

“The financial impact of both this fine and the WTA’s fine will have a material impact on the LTA’s ability to develop and host tennis in this country. For example, we had intended to host a number of ATP Challenger level events to give more opportunities to lower ranked players in the first quarter of 2023 and will now not be able to do this, particularly given the possibility of further fines.”

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