The union of professional tennis players “PTPA” announced the expulsion of the Japanese woman from Roland Garros.
The association of professional tennis players led by Novak Djokovic, “PTPA”, announced after the expulsion from Roland Garros of the Japanese player Miya Kato. She apparently accidentally hit a girl collecting balls and in that disturbing scene met the decision of the authorities to expel her from the tournament. Because of this, the Japanese woman was left with no earned money and no points won.
“The Professional Tennis Association emphasizes that our highest priority is to keep everyone participating in the sport safe, especially the girls and boys who collect the balls. Regardless, the decision to expel Mija Kato and Aldila Sutjadi was unfairly disproportionate and unfair. It is obvious that the incident was accidental and that he was not aggressive at all. This should not have led to the conclusion that a rule was broken and ultimately to expulsion from the tournament. The incident and its consequences are contrary to the basic principle of the ‘PTPA’ – the requirement for fair decisions!”
“When players’ rights are threatened, then a fair resolution process must be applied. The ‘PTPA’ stands for an adequate mechanism that gives players a voice and addresses their concerns. In this case, that means refunding the prize money they won Mija and Aldila, as well as getting their points back. At least that.”
“Decisions such as disqualification must be made fairly and must not suffer from any outside influence. This incident calls for fundamental change. Harsh punishments for unintentional acts undermine the integrity of the sport and damage players’ careers. Disciplinary measures should be taken fairly, to allow for both rehabilitation and be proportionate. With all the problems surrounding sport, it is crucial that players have an independent voice and are involved in shaping the rules that govern their sport.”
“We express our unwavering solidarity with all the players who faced unfair treatment. To point this out and to remedy the situation, we are actively initiating a conversation with the French Tennis Federation and the Bordeaux Grand Slam. We are already in direct contact with Mia Kato. Our goal is to foster an open dialogue to work towards creating a fair and equal community for all players,” the statement said.
In the meantime, the tennis players Sara Soribes Tormo and Marija Bouzkova, who asked the referee that the Japanese player be kicked out, were eliminated in the quarterfinals and were sent off with whistles from the French Open Championship.