Tatishvili wins Roland Garros prize money appeal

PARIS: Anna Tatishvili, who was stripped of her entire 46,000-euro ($52,000) prize money at Roland Garros for “not playing at a professional standard”, has had her punishment overturned, the player announced on Twitter on Friday.

“The Grand Slam Board has reversed the sanction imposed on me at the 2019 French Open, acknowledging I played ‘professionally from the first to the very last point’ and returning to me all of the prize money that I earned,” tweeted 29-year-old Georgia-born Tatishvili.

“I’m grateful to all who stood with me, including my legal team at @Kirkland_Ellis. So happy the question of my performance is settled and I can move on with my tennis career. Excited to be back in competition!”

Tatishvili returned to competition at the French Open last month following a 31-month absence caused by a serious ankle injury and multiple surgeries. Appearing in Paris with a protected ranking, she lost her first-round match to Greece’s 33rd-ranked Maria Sakkari, 6-0, 6-1 in just 55 minutes.

Officials then stripped her of her prize money, claiming Tatishvili failed to play at a “professional standard”. Tatishvili appealed against “the unfair and discriminatory sanction”, pointing out that a male player who competed in qualifying at the French Open, also under a protected ranking, lost in 43 minutes but was not sanctioned.