ATP removes Wimbledon ranking points

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has announced that it will be taking away the ranking points from the Wimbledon this year following Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club had banned all players from Russia and Belarus from all UK grass-court events after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The rankings points are what is used to decide the player seeds and also whether they can gain entry to a tournament or not. With the ranking points removed, Wimbledon will be an exhibition tournament. 

Star Russian player Daniil Medvedev also spoke about the decision to not include Russians and Belarusians in the tournament. The ATP World No. 2 stated:

“I’m not in the ATP taking the decisions, I’m not in Wimbledon taking the decisions. Maybe it’s the government pushing them, maybe it’s their decision. There are a lot of mistakes behind this. So if I can play I’m going to be happy to play. I love Wimbledon as a tournament.

“But if I cannot play, I’m gonna try to play next year and try to play good there.“

The ATP released a statement which read:

“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our Tour. The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP Ranking system. It is also inconsistent with our Rankings agreement. Absent a change in circumstances, it is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022. Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.

“We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA and do not underestimate the difficult decisions faced in responding to recent UK Government guidance. However, we note that this was informal guidance, not a mandate, which offered an alternative option that would have left the decision in the hands of individual players competing as neutral athletes through a signed declaration. Our internal discussions with affected players in fact led us to conclude this would have been a more agreeable option for the Tour. We remain hopeful of further discussions with Wimbledon leading to an acceptable outcome for all concerned. More broadly, we believe this matter again highlights the need for a united governance structure across professional tennis so that decisions of this nature can be made in a joint manner.

“Separately, as previously announced, we confirm that ranking points will remain at ATP Tour events at Queen’s (ATP 500), Eastbourne (ATP 250) and ATP Challenger events in the UK. We have taken this decision on the basis that alternative playing opportunities are open to Russian and Belarusian players in those weeks, unlike during Wimbledon, which minimises any impact on the integrity of the rankings. Sanctions related to LTA’s violation of ATP rules will be assessed separately.

“Our condemnation of Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine remains unequivocal. Immediate action was taken to suspend the ATP Tour event in Moscow and have Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under neutral flags on Tour. In parallel, we have continued our humanitarian support for Ukraine, together with the other governing bodies of tennis, as well as providing direct financial assistance to many affected players.“

The ATP’s decision effectively means that World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is the defending champion, will lose his status as the top-ranked player in the world. 

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has also announced that points from the Juniors and Wheelchair events at Wimbledon will be removed. 

The ITF said in a statement:

“Tournament organisers are not permitted to unilaterally impose entry criteria inconsistent with the ITF’s published open entry criteria. Therefore, in accordance with its protocols, the ITF has the right to withdraw ranking points.“

British No. 2 Dan Evans also spoke about the decision of removing the ranking points, commenting:

“If we’re sticking it solely on tennis and not politics there should be points for Wimbledon,” he said in a pre-tournament interview at the French Open.

“We should be playing for ranking points at Wimbledon and it will be disappointing for me as a Brit if we’re not. I think the majority of the players think it is not ideal that the other players can’t play but there should still be points at Wimbledon. In my opinion they are only trying to protect the Russian players by letting them play.

“There are a lot of other people losing out because of a very small minority of players who are missing the tournament.“

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia were also banned from the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup, where they were the defending champions. The ATP and the WTA had also suspended the events which were to be held in Moscow.