(Reuters) -Wimbledon had its ranking points stripped by the ATP Tour on Friday over its decision to exclude players from Russia and Belarus at the 2022 Championships due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while the WTA Tour has yet to announce a decision.
Tennis’ governing bodies have banned Russia and Belarus from international team competitions following the invasion, which Moscow calls a ‘special operation’, but allowed players from the two countries to continue competing as neutrals.
“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our Tour,” the ATP said 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 ATP’s move to strip rankings points will effectively reduce the world’s most famous tennis tournament to an exhibition event.
The move by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is the first time players have been banned on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were excluded.
The ban has also been slammed by top players such as 21-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal who labelled it unfair, while world number one Novak Djokovic said he did not support the decision.
“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,” the ATP added.
“Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.
“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.”
INTEGRITY COMPROMISED
Meanwhile, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said it will not grant ranking points to Wimbledon this year for junior and wheelchair tennis events.
“The ITF has determined that Wimbledon’s entry criteria banning Russians and Belarusians compromises the integrity of its international competition, in particular its ranking system, as there is a lack of alternative equivalent opportunities for players to compete for ranking points and prize money,” the ITF said.
AELTC, the organisers of the grasscourt Grand Slam, have said that the ban on Russian and Belarusian players was their only viable option under the guidance provided by the British government.
Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) also reciprocated the Wimbledon ban by excluding players from the two countries from its tune-up tour events.
The LTA events will continue to offer full ranking points, although the British governing body is under review for sanctions from the ATP and WTA.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai and Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris)
