“The US Tennis Federation will allow players from Russia and Belarus to participate in the US Open 2022, but only under a neutral flag. USTA has already condemned and continues to condemn Russia's unwarranted invasion of Ukraine," said a statement from the body.
"The USTA, alongside these tennis bodies, supported the banning of the Russian and Belarusian tennis federations and therefore from all international team competitions, as well as the directive requiring players from these countries to play under a neutral flag when competing outside of international team competitions."
In doing so, the US Open, which "allows all eligible players, regardless of their nationality, to participate in the US Open 2022", opts for the same openness to Russian and Belarusian players as Roland-Garros. , which authorized them to participate in the event three weeks ago, on the same condition of the neutral flag.
In the spring, the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 had adopted the same position, authorizing these athletes to take part in their tournament, despite protests from some Ukrainian players asking that they be banned from competitions.
The USTA says it wants to launch a series of initiatives aimed at amplifying the humanitarian efforts already in place for Ukraine, in particular by committing to "provide significant financial support, the details of which will be announced shortly".
The decision by Wimbledon organizers to exclude Russian and Belarus players had drawn rather critical reactions, and the ATP and WTA decided not to distribute points for the tournament this year.
© 2022 AFP