The head of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Andrea Gaudenzi, noted that he does not support sanctions against Russian athletes, saying the athletes did nothing wrong to be banned from participating in competitions international.
— I think that the ATP fully respects the instructions of the IOC. Our players cannot play under the national flag in team competitions, like in any other sport. But there are sports that ban individual players. In general, we do not admit collective guilt. These guys didn’t do anything wrong. They have played tennis all their lives. We think they should, in all fairness, have opportunities, like everyone else.
We also believe that they should be able to compete and have the right to vote, to express their opinion. We want these actors to express themselves, to be able to express their feelings so that it reaches their people and their country. It’s up to them to tell their own version of the story. We defend justice and freedom, we will continue to fight for these principles, said Globo quoting Gaudenzi.
Russian female tennis players can currently participate in ATP and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments in a neutral status.
The Russians and Belarusians have been suspended from the Wimbledon tournament in 2022 due to events in Ukraine. Later, the organizers of the competition were fined $1 million and the WTA and ATP stripped the tournament of ranking points.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
