Russians and Belarusians were prevented from competing at the LTA’s five ATP events – Queen’s Club, Eastbourne, Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
The All England Club also banned them from playing at Wimbledon, which was subsequently stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and the WTA. The WTA had previously issued a £750,000 fine to the LTA and £250,000 to the All England Club, which Britain’s governing body of tennis has appealed against.
In a statement, it said: ‘The LTA is deeply disappointed with this outcome. The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the international sporting community and UK government’s response.
‘The ATP appear to regard this matter as a straightforward breach of their rules, with a surprising lack of empathy shown for the situation in Ukraine.
‘The financial impact of 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.’
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