USTA CEO Lew Sherr said that the governing body had "received no pressure or directive" from the U.S. government related to the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in the U.S. Open, according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES. Referring to the war in Ukraine, Sherr said, "This horrible atrocity absolutely weighed on all of us. But I think at the end of the day we chose not to hold the individual athletes accountable for the decisions of their respective governments." He added that USTA officials had "discussions in recent weeks with the leaders of Wimbledon and the other two Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open and the Australian Open." Sherr said, "It was very clear each of us was dealing with a unique set of circumstances. Wimbledon, in their case, there was a government directive involved as well, and we came out and strongly supported their decision given their circumstances. Our circumstances are different, and in our case, we felt this was the right decision for us." Sherr yesterday reiterated that the USTA "viewed the tours’ decision to strip points from Wimbledon as 'disproportionate.'" Russian and Belarusian players will compete in the U.S. Open, which will begin Aug. 29, "under a neutral flag, just as they have been competing on tour and at the recently concluded French Open." Sherr added that the USTA would use the U.S. Open to "help raise funds for relief efforts in Ukraine and to 'demonstrate our support for the Ukrainian people'" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/15).
