LTA Seeking Reduced Fine From ATP

Russians and Belarusians will be permitted to play Wimbledon and the British grass-court season.

After lifting its ban on Russians and Belarusians, the LTA is seeking a financial break from the ATP.

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Last year, the ATP imposed a major $1 million fine in response to the LTA banning Russian and Belarusian players from British grass-court tournaments last summer.

The ATP hit the LTA with the $1 million fine consisting of a $200,000 fine for each of the five grass-court tournaments—Queen’s Club, Eastbourne, Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley. The ATP also fired a warning shot saying if the LTA took similar action in 2023, then it runs the risk of losing its Tour membership.

Given the LTA has lifted the ban, it’s now requesting a reduced fine from the ATP.

“We made representations to them in respect of wanting them to reconsider the outcome of the decision, in light of the solution we have found,” LTA Chief Scott Lloyd told Daily Mail. “We are awaiting any response. It does mean there’s activity elsewhere that we’ve had to slightly pull back from.

“I’d like to think the level of respect between the organizations has been enhanced, because we’ve had a lot more interaction on some difficult topics and worked our way through them together.”

The WTA hit the LTA with a $750,000 fine on July 4th for banning Russian and Belarusian players from women’s events in Birmingham, Nottingham and Eastbourne. The LTA negotiated a revised agreement with the WTA that reduces the fine in half and hopes to reach a similar agreement with the ATP.

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