LONDON (Dispatches) - Both ATP and WTA have announced that they will not award ranking points for this year’s Wimbledon Championships as the grass-court Grand Slam decided to ban players from Russia and Belarus.
One month ago, the All England Club revealed their decision of declining entries from Russian and Belarusian players to the Wimbledon Championships 2022, which has been condemned by the world governing bodies for both the men’s and women’s professional tennis.
The ATP said in a statement that the ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to the 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.”
The WTA also said that they decided not to award ranking points to this year’s Wimbledon “as a result of the AELTC’s position that it will not honor its obligation to use the WTA Rankings for entry into Wimbledon and proceed with a partial field not based on merit”.
The International Tennis Federation will also withdraw ranking points for Wimbledon Juniors and Wheelchair events.
The AELTC said they were disappointed at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for The Championships, but they would stand by the decision they have made.