RUSSIA has been banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles, but its players will still be allowed to compete at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events.
The decision by tennis authorities follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. Belarus, a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia says is a “special operation,” has also been banned from the international team competitions.
Russian and Belarusian players will be able to play on the elite Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tours but not under the name or flag of their countries, the governing bodies said.
Men’s world number one Daniil Medvedev and number six Andrey Rublev helped Russia beat Croatia in the 2021 Davis Cup final in Madrid in December a month after the Russian women won the Billie Jean King Cup in Prague. — Reuters