Wimbledon has been stripped of ranking points after the men’s and women’s tours came out fighting over the tournament’s decision to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players.
The ban was imposed by the All England Club last month in response to the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine. It was immediately branded “discriminatory” and “unfair” by the WTA and ATP, whose shared disappointment has now culminated in a retaliatory move that will effectively reduce Wimbledon to an exhibition event.
“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our tour,” said the ATP in a statement.
“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.”
The WTA likewise took aim at the All England Club for abandoning the principle of accepting entries based on ranking, arguing that the decision ran counter to the organisation’s founding principle of equal opportunity.
“As a result of the AELTC’s position that it will not honour its obligation to use the WTA rankings for entry into Wimbledon and proceed with a partial field not based on merit, the WTA has made the difficult decision to not award WTA ranking points for this year’s Wimbledon championships,” said Steve Simon, the WTA Chairman.
“The stance we are taking is about protecting the equal opportunities that WTA players should have to compete as individuals.
“If we do not take this stance, then we abandon our fundamental principle and allow the WTA to become an example to support discrimination based on nationality at other events and in other regions around the world. The WTA will continue to apply its rules to reject such discrimination.”
The tours have been backed by the ITF, which will withhold points for Wimbledon’s junior and wheelchair events.
The All England Club expressed “deep disappointment” over the measures, which they described as “disproportionate” given that the decision to impose a ban was influenced by British government guidelines.
“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 view that we have made the only viable decision for Wimbledon as a globally renowned sporting event and British institution, and we stand by the decision we have made,” said the All England Club.
“As we have previously stated, after careful consideration against a variety of factors, and bound to act in accordance with the directive guidance from the UK Government, we came to two firm conclusions that formed the basis for this decision.
“We were not prepared to take any actions which could risk the personal safety of players, or their families. We believe that requiring written declarations from individual players – and that would apply to all relevant players – as a condition of entry in the high-profile circumstances of Wimbledon would carry significant scrutiny and risk.
“In addition, we remain unwilling to accept success or participation at Wimbledon being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime, which, through its closely controlled state media, has an acknowledged history of using sporting success to support a triumphant narrative to the Russian people.
“We therefore wish to state our deep disappointment at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for the Championships. We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who compete on tour.”
The ATP accepted that Wimbledon had faced “difficult decisions” in light of the British government’s stance, but took issue with the suggestion that the club’s hands were tied by political considerations.
“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,” said the ATP statement.
The All England Club has consistently stated its opposition to written declarations that might jeopardise the safety of players and their families.
With players who reached the latter stages of last year’s tournament last year unable to defend their points, the tours’ response to Wimbledon’s ban on Russians and Belarusians will have significant repercussions for the world rankings.
Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, is likely to lose his position as world No 1 when the 2,000 points he earned in 2021 drop off, while Matteo Berrettini and Karolina Pliskova, the men’s and women’s runners-up, will both drop out of the top 10.