Russian And Belarusian Tennis Players Can Still Compete—But Not Under Their Flags - Forbes

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Topline

Russian and Belarusian tennis players can no longer compete under their countries’ names or flags, the international governing bodies of tennis said in a joint statement Tuesday, falling short of the International Olympic Committee’s call Monday to ban athletes from the two countries in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Key Facts

The statement, released jointly by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the four Grand Slam tournaments, stipulates Russian and Belariusan players can still compete “at this time” in tour events.

The ITF suspended the Russian and Belarusian teams from all international team competitions, a ruling that will likely keep the countries out of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King doubles tournaments later this year.

The ATP and WTA announced the suspension of a joint tournament scheduled for October in Moscow, following the ITF’s earlier cancellation of all events in Belarus and Russia.

Key Background

The IOC recommended Monday that all athletes from Belarus and Russia be excluded from international sporting competitions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The National Hockey League said Tuesday it will suspend all Russian business operations, but continue to allow Russian athletes to compete, as they represent NHL teams, not their country. FIFA and the Union of European Football Association said Monday Russia’s national soccer team will not be allowed to compete. There are four Russians ranked in the ATP’s top 25, including top-ranked Daniil Medvedev, while there are two Belarusians, including No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka, and two Russians in the WTA’s top 25. The WTA updated its website to remove the Belarusian and Russian flags from players’ biographies, while the ATP has yet to do so.

Tangent

Alexander Rublev, the sixth-ranked men’s tennis player, wrote “No war please” on a television camera following his semifinal win at the Dubai Championship ATP and WTA event Friday. Medvedev said Thursday he sought to “promote peace,” and the two were among the first prominent Russians to call for peace.