The All England Club -- organizer of the Wimbledon tennis tournament -- is appealing a fine imposed by the WTA women’s tour for its banning of Russian and Belarusian players from the famed event in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said on July 4 that the club appealed its WTA fine, reportedly at $250,000.
The WTA reportedly also fined the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) -- the British federation for the sport -- $750,000, and a source familiar with the matter said the LTA has also appealed the fine.
The LTA did not allow players from Russia or Belarus to take part in grass-court tune-up events last month in three cities.
Bolton said the All England Club is waiting to hear from the ATP men’s tour on whether it will also fine the tournament over the ban.
The All England Club announced in April that, following guidance from the British government, players from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year.
That decision meant that players such as top-ranked male Daniil Medvedev and two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka would not be allowed to compete.
“It was an incredibly difficult and challenging decision to make. It was not one we took lightly,” Bolton said.
The WTA and ATP called the move discriminatory and took the unprecedented step of declaring they would not award rankings points to any players at the Grand Slam tournament, which is scheduled to end on July 10.