The U.S. Tennis Association told the Associated Press that it did not want to hold individual athletes accountable for the actions of their government.
The U.S. Open is a tennis tournament.
The United States Tennis Association, which owns and runs the U.S. Open, said in a statement that all eligible players would be allowed to compete in the 2022.
Lew Sherr, the CEO and Executive Director of the USTA, said in an interview with AP that the board decided to allow the Russian and Belarusian athletes to play because they were concerned about being held responsible for the actions and decisions of their governments.
During the French Open, athletes from Russia and Belarus played under a neutral flag.
Wimbledon became the first of four tennis grand slam events to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating because of Russia's invasion ofUkraine. Two of the world's best tennis players were prevented from playing. The venue for the Wimbledon Championships said at the time that it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the players' participation. Athletes were not allowed to compete under their national flag at the French Open. Russian athletes have not been allowed to participate in sporting events since the war in Ukraine started.
Russian tennis players will be allowed to play.
The tennis players affected by the Wimbledon ban are Russians and Belarusians.
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