Russia and Belarus banned from Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, but individual players can compete on tour
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ByEurosport
Updated 01/03/2022 at 20:40 GMT
Russia or Belarus will not be permitted to compete at the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, it has been announced. However, individual players will be permitted to play on the WTA and ATP tours. The governing bodies made the decision after the invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee has recommended that all Russians and Belarusian athletes should be blocked from competing.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev reacts during his Mexico ATP Open 500 men's singles semi-final tennis match against Spain's Rafael Nadal at the Arena GNP, in Acapulco, Mexico, on February 25, 2022
Image credit: Getty Images
Russia and Belarus have been banned from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, but players will be allowed to compete as individuals on the ATP and WTA tours.
Players will also not be allowed to compete under the flag of Russia or Belarus on tour and at Grand Slams.
The decision comes after Russia president Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, and a day after FIFA and UEFA jointly announced that Russian clubs and national teams are suspended from all competitions until further notice following the invasion of Ukraine.
“The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions and, as a result, are in agreement with the following decisions and actions,” began a joint statement from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
“The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.
“The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.
“At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.”
The decision means that Russian teams will be barred from defending their Davis and Billie Jean King Cup titles, while the Kremlin Cup - a joint WTA and ATP tournament - has been removed from the calendar.
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