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The ATP and WTA react to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament in London.
The ATP decided on Friday that there were no world ranking points to be won at Wimbledon this year. Shortly thereafter, the WTA followed suit. The reason is the exclusion of players from Russia and Belarus.
In their communiqués, the organizations of men’s and women’s tennis refer to the fundamental principle that “all players without discrimination and solely on the basis of their merits” are entitled to play in their tournaments. With its arbitrary decision, Wimbledon set a dangerous precedent.
Points are not counted
In the ATP and WTA tournaments, Russians and Belarusians are still allowed to compete under a neutral flag. However, Wimbledon had decided to exclude players from these two nations because of the Russian war in Ukraine. One therefore sees oneself “with great regret” forced to withdraw the ranking points from the Wimbledon tournament in 2022, according to the ATP and WTA.
At the end of this year’s tournament, the points won last year will be dropped without replacement. One of the victims is defending champion Novak Djokovic, who loses 2000 points that he cannot replace – even if he wins again.
Wimbledon reacts “very disappointed”
The organizers of Wimbledon – the only Grand Slam tournament organized by a private organization – reacted “deeply disappointed” to the move by the ATP and WTA. “This is disproportionate and harms all players who take part in the tour,” it said in a statement.
But the Londoners will stick to the ban on Russians and Belarusians: “We are still not ready to accept that successes or participation in Wimbledon are used by the Russian regime’s propaganda machine.” The only Grand Slam tournament organized by a private organization in Wimbledon (the national associations are responsible for the other three) was scheduled for April