LTA fined $1 million by ATP over ban of Russian players

By The Associated Press

FILE - A Russia Davis Cup team member during a training session in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. The Lawn Tennis Association was fined $1 million by the ATP men's professional tour on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 for banning players from Russia and Belarus from its grass-court events this summer. The governing body of British tennis banned the players from five Wimbledon warm-up tournaments following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, file)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Bernat Armangue]

LONDON (AP) — The Lawn Tennis Association was fined $1 million by the ATP men’s professional tour for banning players from Russia and Belarus from its grass-court events this summer. The governing body of British tennis banned the players from five Wimbledon warm-up tournaments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ATP oversees men’s tennis outside of the Grand Slams. It has also warned the LTA it could lose its membership in the organization if it repeats the ban. The LTA says it is “deeply disappointed” in the decision and will await the outcome of a similar fine handed it by the women’s tour to “consider our response.”