Daniel Evans is not a fan of threats that are coming from the ATP and WTA if the Lawn Tennis Association upholds the ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
The organisation issued a ban on players from these countries last year at the recommendation of the British government as the country feared that Wimbledon might become a platform of Russian propaganda. Despite their efforts, the event did end up being a propaganda vehicle as Russian-born player Rybakina won the event by playing for Kazakhstan.
It's a sad state of affairs if Queen's wasn't on. I'm not a fan of the threats. The ATP should not throw stones when they live in glass houses. Queen's is one of the best and most prestigious tournaments on the tour, which has done a lot for the ATP Tour in its time.
Reports from the media suggested that the ATP and WTA are considering the option of stripping the LTA of all its event including Queen's and Eastbourne, two iconic events that have been held for many years. Evans would hate to see it as he generally sides with the ATP on most issues. This is not one of them though.
I'm a massive advocate for the ATP generally. They do great things but we have to have sensible conversations. I don't think threatening the LTA with taking away the licence for these events is how it's going to be resolved.
Evans doesn't think it's an easy thing to solve because there are arguments for both sides. He would hate to see it because of the impact on British tennis but he also wants to see sensible talks take place in order for the best solution to happen.
It affects all of the Brits. They're not going to get chances or playing opportunities with a wild card. I think common sense should prevail. The LTA's hands are tied a little bit as well. This subject goes a bit bigger than tennis federations and governing bodies.
0 Comments