The International Tennis Federation has confirmed to Ubitennis that at least one upcoming tournament has been suspended following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
On Tuesday President Vladimir Putin authorized ‘a special military operation’ against Ukraine to eliminate what he claims is a serious threat and has vowed to demilitarize the nation. The move has prompted widespread outrage from numerous countries and sanctions against Russian officials have been significantly increased. Verified sources have confirmed that the ongoing attack has hit various cities in Ukraine and at least 40 people have been killed.
In the world of sport, there has also been a reaction with Uefa stripping St. Petersburg of hosting the Champions League Final. Meanwhile, Formula One racer Sebastian Vettel has said he will boycott the upcoming Russian Grand Prix and his rival Max Verstappen has called for the event to be cancelled altogether.
So how is tennis reacting to the ongoing development?
Communicating via email, a spokesperson from the ITF confirmed to UbiTennis that following a conversation with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation, they have agreed to suspend one $15k event which was due to take place in April. Furthermore, the decision of staging any upcoming events this year in either Ukraine or Russia will be based on a risk assessment and ‘advice from security experts.’
“The ITF believes there is no place in sport for politics but as these current events show, it’s a deeply concerning reality,’ a spokesperson said.
“Our first and highest priority is the health and safety of players and all those travelling, competing, and working these events. In light of this, the ITF and the Ukraine Tennis Federation today decided to postpone a World Tennis Tour $15K tournament that was due to take place in Ukraine this April.”
According to the ITF official calendar, Russia is scheduled to hold multiple events across the junior, professional and senior Tour’s within the next six months. Including the Yeltsin Cup, which is a J1 junior event that is set to begin on Monday. J1 is the second-highest category on the ITF junior Tour after the Grand Slams. Ubitennis understands that discussions about if the event will go ahead are ongoing.
“We’ll continue to keep a very close eye on how this situation evolves. Any further course of action will be decided based on a thorough risk assessment and the advice we receive from security experts and the relevant authorities.” The ITF states.
As of this week, there are currently 11 Russian players ranked in the top 100 with seven of those being on the women’s Tour. Furthermore, Daniil Medvedev will become world No.1 next week following Novak Djokovic’s loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Meanwhile, Ukraine has three women’s players in the top 100, including Elina Monfils.
The WTA and ATP are yet to reply to Ubitennis’ query regarding their approach to the crises.
