The WTA clarified that, although it does not endorse the exhibition event taking place in Russia this weekend, participating players will not face sanctions.
The second edition of the Northern Palmyra Trophies tournament will be held from Dec. 1-3 in St. Petersburg, featuring players from both the WTA and the men's ATP Tour.
The event, sponsored by Russian energy giant Gazprom, is taking place while Russia continues its war with Ukraine.
"This event is not affiliated with the WTA, nor does the WTA support the event being held," the governing body of women's tennis told Reuters on Monday.
"Players compete on the WTA Tour as independent contractors and, at their discretion, have the ability to participate in an exhibition without penalty during the off-season."
Representatives for the men's ATP Tour did not respond to a request for comment.
Among the WTA players taking part are former French and U.S. Open quarterfinalist Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, Russian world No. 28 Anastasia Potapova, and former Roland Garros quarterfinalist Veronika Kudermetova, who is also from Russia.
ATP players include world No. 15 Karen Khachanov of Russia, Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, and France's Adrian Mannarino, according to the event's website.
Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players in 2022, prompting the tours to strip the event of ranking points that year but allowed them to return as neutrals this year.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, the U.N. Human Rights Office said last week.
