Wimbledon appealing against WTA fine for banning Russians and Belarusians

The head of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts Wimbledon, said it has appealed against a fine from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for banning Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament.

The WTA has fined the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the AELTC £620,000 and £207,000 respectively for excluding Russian and Belarusian players from warm-up competitions in Eastbourne, Nottingham and Birmingham, according to the Daily Mail.

AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton told reporters on Monday the organisation is “deeply disappointed” by the tour’s reaction to its decision to impose the ban.

Asked about the fines, she said: “I think the first thing to say is that it is the subject of a legal process so I can’t comment specifically on that.

But she added: “We stand by the decision we made, we are deeply disappointed at the reactions of the tours to that decision and I probably can’t say anything more on that at this time, I’m afraid.

Asked if the AELTC would appeal, she said: “Yes, we have appealed.”

Ms Bolton said the AELTC is waiting to hear from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) on its decision on whether or not to fine the Championships over the ban.

Asked about whether it will be the AELTC or the LTA who pays the fines, Ms Bolton said: “We are separate organisations and we have been fined separately so we are addressing it separately, but it is subject to a legal process so I can’t say anymore.”

She later added: “We thought really, really long and hard about that decision. It was an incredibly difficult and challenging decision to make.

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