US Open considered banning Russians and Belarusians but opted for charity match with Nadal, Swiatek and Azarenka
ATP
The USTA announced a charity fundraiser for Ukraine on August 24th and in light of that decision they almost admitted that they considered following Wimbledon.
Wimbledon became the first event that banned Russian and Belarusian players due to their countries' involvement in the Ukraine War. The USTA was very close to following that example and banning those players as well but in the end, they settled against it.
The reasons why they did so are many but ultimately it comes down to sending a strong message. According to USTA a stronger message is a fundraiser event that will be marked with a charity match to happen on August 24th, Ukraine's independence day.
Several players have already signed up for the event including Victoria Azarenka, a native Belarusian. It's certainly going to be a strong message to see especially with Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal signing up for it as well.
Stacey Allister spoke with Azarenka and explained it was a quick response:
“It was a quick response. She said, ‘This is a player choice, and I want to play."
It's unclear whether any Russian player signed up for the charity match.
