The tennis association ATP has decided that there are no world ranking points up for grabs at Wimbledon this year. The reason for this measure is the exclusion of players from Russia and Belarus.
In a communiqué, the organization of men’s tennis refers 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. One therefore sees oneself “with great regret” forced to withdraw the ranking points from the Wimbledon tournament in 2022.
It can be assumed that the women’s tour WTA will follow suit. In tennis, 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.
Even winning the title is of no use to Djokovic
The decision should hurt Novak Djokovic in particular. As the defending champion, the 34-year-old Serb would have to defend 2,000 ATP points from the previous year, while his world ranking pursuers Daniil Medvedev (26) and Alexander Zverev (25) only have 180 points each.
The points that were won last year will now be dropped at the end of this year’s tournament without replacement, without the “Djoker” being able to import them once more. Even a tournament victory is of no use to him for the world ranking. He is expected to be passed in 3rd place.
Explosive: What was intended as a punitive action once morest Russia and its athletes might end up boomeranging. Medvedev, who would be the new world number 1 following Wimbledon, would benefit most from the points not awarded.
The other ATP and WTA tournaments in Great Britain, which also excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes, keep their ranking points. The reason given is that there are alternatives in other countries, while Wimbledon has no competition in its weeks. (cat/SDA)
