UK tennis faces ‘existential threat’ if ban on Russian players continues

New Delhi: The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body of the sport in Great Britain, believes it faces an “existential threat” if the ban on Russian and Belarussian players continues and it loses the pre-Wimbledon events like Queen’s Club and Edgbaston, The Guardian reported. The ATP and WTA have threatened to prohibit LTA from staging the events if the ban remains in place. The ban on Russian and Belarussian players was placed by LTA and the All England Club, Wimbledon organisers, last year after Russia attacked Ukraine. After this, the WTA and ATP stripped Wimbledon of ranking points. The LTA is currently engaged in negotiations with the government and tennis bodies. “The organisation faces an existential threat if the grass court events aren’t staged,” an LTA insider told The Guardian. The insider added that LTA losing the tournaments would also impact the finances of the organisation and the growth of the sport in Great Britain. The LTA finances British tennis and provides funds for grassroots as well as elite players. Losing the Queen’s Club and Edgbaston events is expected to result in a loss of £20 million for LTA, which is approximately 30% of its revenue. The Edgbaston (WTA tournament) and Queen’s Club (ATP tournament) events are scheduled for June, ahead of Wimbledon in July. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.