Tennis
ATP & WTA Strip Ranking Points from Wimbledon Amid Russian Ban
by privatebet.com - 2022/05/21
Wimbledon officials sent shock waves through the tennis world after announcing their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament, and now they’re suffering consequences. Both ATP and WTA announced their decision to strip ranking points from the prestigious Grand Slam. ATP, the men’s governing body, released a statement on Friday, saying they’re removing ATP ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022 because their rules and agreements exist 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. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries,” reads the statement by ATP. WTA, the women’s governing body, went down the same road, saying they’re taking this stance as a way of “protecting the equal opportunities that WTA players should have to compete as individuals.” Despite ATP’s and WTA’s decision to remove the ranking points, Wimbledon representatives are standing their ground. Their statement explains they deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected, but they’re proceeding with a ban in an attempt to limit Russia's global influence. The 2022 Wimbledon Championship is set to take place between June 27 and July 10 at the All England Club in London.