US Open allows Russian, Belarusian tennis players after Wimbledon ban

The US Open will allow players from Russia and Belarus to compete in neutral colours, the US Tennis Association (USTA) said on Tuesday, citing “concern about holding individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments.”

“Alongside the other Grand Slams, the ITF, the ATP and the WTA, the USTA, which owns and operates the US Open, has previously condemned, and continues to condemn, the unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” the USTA said in a statement.

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“The USTA … supported the banning of the Russian and Belarusian Tennis Federations from the ITF, and therefore all international team competitions, and the directive for players from those countries to play under a neutral flag when competing outside of international team competitions,” the association added.

“We recognize that each organization has had to deal with unique circumstances that affect their decisions. Based on our own circumstances, the USTA will allow all eligible players, regardless of nationality, to compete at the 2022 US Open,” the USTA further said, explaining its decision.

The USTA’s decision comes weeks ahead of this year’s edition of Wimbledon, which has banned athletes from Russia and Belarus, including world number 1 Daniil Medvedev, for Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine.

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Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players had earlier been criticised by the ATP and the WTA, and the two associations also stripped Wimbledon of ranking points this year due to the All England Club’s ban, in a significant rebuke to the world’s oldest Grand Slam tournament.

Beyond tennis, Russian and Belarusian athletes have had to bear the brunt of the fallout of their governments’ actions, with the two countries’ national teams being barred from other major sporting events, such as all UEFA and FIFA events, and Olympic events.