Tax change could tempt stars back to Britain

LONDON (AP)â€"The Lawn Tennis Association says changes to the way the British government taxes overseas athletes will help persuade top players to attend tournaments in the country other than Wimbledon.

Athletes are taxed on a portion of their annual worldwide endorsement earnings along with the prize money and appearance fees earned in Britain.

The government amended the rule Wednesday to include training days, meaning that a smaller proportion of endorsement earnings would now be taxable.

LTA chief executive Roger Draper says the situation had posed a “serious risk to the status and growth of our major sporting events.”

Rafael Nadal has said the rules mean he could lose money by playing at events such as the Wimbledon warmup event at Queen’s.