"The LTA is deeply disappointed with this," the association said
Britain’s tennis governing body (LTA) has been fined £820,000 ($998,350) by the ATP for banning Russian and Belarusian male players from this summer’s grass-court events, including Wimbledon.
British tennis has also been threatened with expulsion from the ATP men’s tour.
“The LTA is deeply disappointed with this,” the LTA, who imposed the ban following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said in a statement.
The LTA added that the ATP and WTA’s fines would “have a material impact on the LTA’s ability to develop and host tennis in this country”.
The LTA has been fined $200,000 (£164,018) for each of the five ATP events it staged this year: the tour level events at The Queen’s Club and Eastbourne, and the Challenger tournaments at Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley.
The UK’s governing body said they are considering their response to the sanction.
“The ATP, in its finding, has shown no recognition of the exceptional circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the international sporting community and UK Government’s response to that invasion,” it added.
“The ATP appear to regard this matter as a straightforward breach of their rules – with a surprising lack of empathy shown for the situation in Ukraine, and a clear lack of understanding of the unique circumstances the LTA faced.”
The women’s WTA Tour has already fined the LTA $750,000 (£615,067) for excluding the players from its grass court events in Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne.
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