The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) condemned the decision of the UK Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to ban Russians and Belarusians from participating in Wimbledon 2022 and other tournaments under their auspices.

" A founding principle of the WTA is that individual athletes may compete based on merit and without discrimination of any kind.. This principle is clearly stated in our rules..

Individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from participating in tournaments because of where they come from or because of decisions made by their governments.. Discrimination against athletes is neither fair nor justified.

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Recall, on Wednesday, April 20, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced that Russian and Belarusian tennis players are prohibited from playing at Wimbledon and other tournaments in the UK due to the war in Ukraine.

This is the first major tennis tournament that does not allow athletes from aggressor countries due to the Russian-Ukrainian war..

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Earlier it was reported that the invaders destroyed the tennis center in Irpen.