Former ATP supervisor spoke out against Russian tennis players in tournaments
Former ATP supervisor spoke out against Russian tennis players in tournaments
Former ATP Referee and Supervisor Richard Ings in detail why he fully supports Wimbledon’s decision to remove the Russians from the upcoming draw.
“Russian athletes win Russia in competitions. When they win, such victories are politically welcomed in Russia. None of the Russian athletes should be allowed to compete abroad. Is this discrimination? No. Ukrainian tennis players are fighting to provide for their nation.
We know that Russia has already crossed the red line in sports, if you remember the doping scandals. Now is the time to clearly define the boundaries that this country cannot cross. ATP players may not like that players are not liked by Wimbledon players. But in Russia sport is politics. Russia has been cheating in the sport of radial political gain for years. Russian athletes cannot exist apart from Russian politics. Theirs is the oxygen for Russian politics.
Just imagine how valuable it would be to Russian political propaganda if some high-profile British figure was unlucky and had to present a trophy and several million dollars to a Russian player on the world stage on the last weekend of Wimbledon. Come down to the ground already. I am a person who worked for ATP. I understand the universal system by which you get into the lists of participants, and I hope that ATP remains above politics. But sport in Russia is politics, ”Ings wrote on his social networks.
Wimbledon is changing its status! Due to the removal of the Russians, it will now be an exhibition