Latvia has cut off funding to tennis players who compete n the same tournaments as Russian and Belarusian players. The move is bizarre because Latvian players have no control over who the tournament allows to participate.

Among the players impacted is Jelena Ostapenko. Speaking of the move, Ostapenko said,

Of course they have reached out, but honestly there is really nothing to do because I’m not organizing tournaments. The WTA is the one who is organizing tournaments and I don’t have any opportunities to play in any other tournaments

Luckily for Ostapenko, she can support herself financially. But lower-ranked tennis players from Latvia will pay a price.

This looks like a petty move by the Latvian government. Where else are the Latvian players going to play if they can’t play at tournaments that have Russian and Belarusian players?