The U.S. Open will not follow Wimbledon in banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tennis tournament.
The U.S. Tennis Association, which owns and operates the U.S. Open, announced the decision on Tuesday after a recent board meeting. The move leaves Wimbledon as the only Grand Slam tournament to ban Russians and Belarusians following the invasion of Ukraine.
“This horrific atrocity weighed heavily on all of us,” said Lew Sherr, USTA’s new chief executive, referring to the war in Ukraine. “But I think at the end of the day we decided not to hold individual athletes accountable for the decisions of their respective governments.”
The Wimbledon ban, made in part in response to pressure for action by the British government, has received strong support from the British public, as opinion polls show. But the ban was rejected with the disapproval of the men’s and women’s tennis circuits, which responded by removing Wimbledon from the standings this year despite considerable debate and dissent among players.
Sherr said US officials had talks over the past few weeks with Wimbledon leaders and the other two Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open and the Australian Open. “It was very clear that each of us was facing a unique set of circumstances,” he said. “Wimbledon, in its case, also had a government directive involved, and we went out and strongly supported its decision given its circumstances. Our circumstances are different and, in our case, we thought that this it was the right decision for us. “
Better understand the war between Russia and Ukraine
Russian and Belarusian players will compete in the US Open, which will begin on August 29, under a neutral flag, as they have been competing in the tour and the recently concluded French Open.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev won the men’s singles title at the US Open last year and returns to No. 1 in the individual ATP rankings this week. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus is a three-time female finalist for the US Open. Aryna Sabalenka, another Belarusian female star, reached the semifinals of last year’s US Open.
All will be absent from Wimbledon, which starts on June 27, and Russian and Belarusian players have also been banned from this month’s preliminary events in Britain at Queen’s Club, Eastbourne and elsewhere. Finally, the USTA chose to go in a different direction, although Sherr reiterated on Tuesday that he considered “disproportionate” the decision of the tours to get points from Wimbledon.
So far, no other touring event outside Britain has followed Wimbledon’s leadership, although tennis authorities acted quickly after the invasion of Ukraine to prevent Russian and Belarusian teams from competing in events such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.
Updated
June 14, 2022, 4:14 p.m. ET
“This is not an easy situation,” Sherr said. “It’s a horrible situation for those in Ukraine, an unprovoked and unjust invasion and absolutely horrible, so everything we’re talking about pales in relation to what’s going on there.”
Sherr said the USTA would use the U.S. Open to help raise funds for relief efforts in Ukraine and to “demonstrate our support for the Ukrainian people.”
Sherr said the USTA had not received any pressure or direction from the US government regarding the involvement of Russian and Belarusian players.
Russian players such as Medvedev have already competed in the United States since international restrictions were imposed, playing in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open. Russian stars in other sports, such as Alexander Ovechkin of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, have continued to compete for their American clubs.
“The discussion at the board was really about principles and what we think was right for us and not a function of what the NHL might be doing; it’s not a function of even what might be happening elsewhere in tennis. Sherr said. “It was really a fundamental issue, on the one hand, did you have atrocities and a horrible situation, and on the other hand, are we willing to hold these people accountable for these decisions?”
Although Medvedev should be able to defend his title in New York if he is healthy, the player he defeated in last year’s final, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, is still unable to enter the United States because he is a foreigner. not vaccinated. That policy, which prevented Djokovic from competing in Indian Wells or Miami this year, could change before the U.S. Open begins, but Sherr made it clear Tuesday that USTA would not seek an exemption for unvaccinated foreign players to compete. in New York.
“We will follow government and CDC guidelines,” Sherr said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.