The Lawn Tennis Association has made a financial loss following its bans on Russia and Belarus from tournaments in Britain last year ©Getty Images

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, has recorded a financial loss after receiving fines for its ban on Russian and Belarusian players at its tournaments last summer.

The LTA, which organises grass-court tournaments in the run-up to Wimbledon, was fined a total of $1.75 million (£1.4 million/€1.6 million) by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

The two organisations threatened that the LTA could be stripped of the tournaments and face similar fines which led to the British body not extending its ban.

LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd revealed the governing body will announce a loss for 2022, although an appeal to the WTA could result in $375,000 (£300,000/€340,000) being paid back following this year's events.

The LTA has also asked the ATP to reduce its fine given the ban has now been controversially lifted.

LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd admitted that the WTA and ATP fines means that they have had to reduce investment in other areas ©Getty Images
LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd admitted that the WTA and ATP fines means that they have had to reduce investment in other areas ©Getty Images

"We would have spent those funds in a different way," Lloyd told British news agency Press Association. 

"We'd rather not invest them in fines.

"Does it mean we have fundamentally retracted from our performance competition calendar in 2023?

"No, because we feel so strongly that is the right thing to do and the right thing to continue to invest in, so we have prioritised doing so.

"It does mean there is activity elsewhere that we've had to slightly pull back on across a wide range."

The LTA's hosting of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow last year also contributed to the financial loss ©Getty Images
The LTA's hosting of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow last year also contributed to the financial loss ©Getty Images

The LTA also staged a round of the Davis Cup Finals last September and then the Billie Jean King Cup in November, both in Glasgow.

Although ticket sales did not cover the cost, Lloyd insisted it was money well spent. 

"We think it was an important show of commitment and support to those events, and to our teams, but also to maintain and build on the momentum that we've got right now in British tennis," he said.

"They came at a bit of a cost but we would do it again."

Wimbledon is due to be held between July 3 and 16 this year.

Players in line to return include Russia's world number five Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion from Belarus.