Daniil Medvedev will be able to defend his title at the US Open: the New York Grand Slam, unlike Wimbledon which excluded them, decided on Monday June 14 to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the event, only under a neutral flag , in the context of the invasion of Ukraine.
“The US Tennis Federation will allow Russian and Belarusian players to participate in the US Open 2022, but only under a neutral flag. Alongside other major tournaments, the International Federation, the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours, the USTA has already condemned and continues to condemn Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine”says a press release from the instance.
“The USTA, alongside these tennis bodies, supported the banning of the Russian and Belarusian tennis federations and therefore from all international team competitions, as well as the directive requiring players from these countries to play under a neutral flag when competing outside international team competitions”she adds.
Amplifying Humanitarian Efforts for Ukraine
In doing so, the US Open which “allows all eligible players, regardless of nationality, to participate in the US Open 2022”opts for the same openness to Russian and Belarusian players as Roland-Garros, which authorized them to participate in the event three weeks ago, on the same condition of the neutral flag.
In the spring, the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 took the same position, allowing these athletes to take part in their tournament, despite protests from some Ukrainian players asking that Russians and Belarusians be banned from competitions.
The USTA says it wants to launch a series of initiatives aimed at amplifying the humanitarian efforts already implemented for Ukraine, in particular by committing to “provide significant financial support, details of which will be announced soon”.
The decision by Wimbledon organizers to exclude Russian and Belarus players had drawn rather critical reactions, and the ATP and WTA decided not to distribute points for the tournament this year.