The ATP and the WTA have decided to take ranking points away from Wimbledon this year as punishment for the tournament’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players.
The decision is the biggest fight between the organizations that run tennis for a long time. It means that Wimbledon will be treated more like a show than an official tournament. Players won’t be able to earn ranking points at Wimbledon this year like they do at all other official tournaments. Those who did well at last year’s event won’t be able to keep their points, which could cause big changes in the rankings.
In a statement, the ATP said, “It is a key part of our Tour that players of any nationality can enter tournaments based on their skills and without bias.” “This principle and the integrity of the ATP Ranking system are hurt by Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing in the UK this summer. It also goes against what we agreed to in our Rankings agreement. Without a change in circumstances, we have no choice but to take away ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon in 2022. We are very sorry about this.
In their statements, both the ATP and WTA said that Wimbledon broke their rankings agreements by banning Russian and Belarusian players: “The recent decisions by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to ban athletes from competing in the upcoming UK grass-court events violate that fundamental principle, which is embodied in the WTA rules, the Grand Slam rules, and the agreement the WTA has with the Grand Slams.”
The ITF also said that the junior and wheelchair tournaments at Wimbledon will no longer have points.
Late Friday night, the All England Club replied to the governing bodies by saying they were “deeply disappointed” by the ATP, WTA, and ITF’s decisions and reiterating their own: “Given the position taken by the UK Government to limit Russia’s global influence, which removed automatic entry by ranking, and the widespread response of Government, industry, sport, and creative institutions, we remain of the opinion that we made the only possible decision for Wimbledon as a world-famous sporting event and British institution, and we stand by that decision,” said the All England Club.
Because Russia invaded Ukraine, Wimbledon said in April that they would not let Russian or Belarusian players play in the tournament. The British government’s rules and the possibility that the Russian government would use any success by a Russian player as propaganda during the invasion were given as reasons for the decision by the All England Club.
Grand Slam tournaments are very popular and bring in a lot of money, so withholding ranking points is one of the few ways the tours can put pressure on Wimbledon. Players from Russia and Belarus have been permitted to play in other tournaments as neutral athletes. They will be at the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
The ATP also disagreed with Wimbledon’s claim that guidance from the UK government limited their options. “We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA, and we do not underestimate how hard it was to respond to recent guidance from the UK government,” the ATP said. But we want to point out that this was just advice, not a rule, and that there was another option that would have left the decision up to each player competing as a neutral athlete through a signed declaration.
Even though the LTA decided to follow Wimbledon’s lead and not let players into the ATP and WTA warm-up tournaments, both tours have decided to give points at the British warm-up tournaments. But the WTA will take action against the LTA and the tournaments it runs.
Some people have talked about the possibility that Russian and Belarusian players will sue Wimbledon. On Friday, Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 player in the ATP rankings for Russia and the most famous player who can’t play at Wimbledon, said this about the ban: “These decisions aren’t up to me. If I can’t play, I’m not going to court for this one.”
