Paris – The exclusion of Russian tennis pros from Wimbledon and the waiver of world ranking points at this year’s grass court classic is splitting the tennis scene.
At the French Open currently underway in Paris, the first few days are all about the next Grand Slam tournament at the end of June. Above all, the decision by the ATP and WTA not to award points for the ranking at Wimbledon is met with incomprehension by many. “I think it was a wrong decision,” Djokovic said in Paris after his first-round win at the French Open.
The world number one is particularly affected by the ruling because, as defending champion, he will now lose 2,000 points and very likely his first place in the world rankings. But he said he was glad that the ATP and the players had made it clear to the Wimbledon organisers that their decision to exclude professionals from Russia and Belarus had been wrong. Djokovic and other stars had already criticised the exclusion.
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old Serb would have liked a different ruling. “I think the ATP could have found a middle way. They could have cancelled the points for this year, but frozen them from last year,” Djokovic said. This is how it was handled during the coronavirus pandemic. However, he said the whole constellation was very complex for all sides. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” the world number one said.
The men’s organisation ATP and the women’s organisation WTA had decided on Friday that there would be no points for the respective world rankings at this year’s tennis classic. The reason for this is the exclusion of professionals from Russia and Belarus by the Wimbledon organisers because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
If the ATP and WTA stick to their decision not to award points, it could lead to the curious situation that in Daniil Medvedev, of all people, a Russian player benefits the most by replacing Djokovic as world number one. “That would be strange indeed,” Medvedev said on Tuesday after his Paris first-round win. “If there are no points and I become number one, good for me. If there are points and I can’t become number one, I would be pissed,” the Russian said. “But I have no influence on the respective decisions.”
Behind the scenes, heated discussions are going on among those involved – the last word seems far from being said. Former world number one Naomi Osaka has already hinted at not wanting to play at Wimbledon in the event that points are forfeited. “I’m already playing to have the prospect of moving up in the rankings,” the Japanese said. Other professionals also seem to be considering not starting, which would finally turn Wimbledon 2022 into something of a show event.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the players want points to be awarded and the tournament to be like it was before,” said the always opinionated Frenchman Benoit Paire. “So I want to know if the ATP wants to defend the players or Russia.” Russia’s Andrei Rublyov expects the stars of the industry to be at Wimbledon anyway. “They are not playing for money or points, but for history,” Rublyov said. Andrea Petkovic had already announced she wanted to be there. “It could be my last Wimbledon, I wouldn’t want to miss it,” said the player from Darmstadt. However, she said she could understand professionals who would forego the tournament.
