The ATP criticized the direction of Wimbledon on Friday and announced that the points earned by men’s tennis players at the British Grand Slam will not enter the standings. The move comes in response to Wimbledon’s decision to veto athletes from Russia and Belarus at this year’s edition, over the invasion of Ukraine.
“The ability of tennis players, from any country, to enter tournaments on the basis of merit, and without any discrimination, is fundamental to our circuit. Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russians and Belarusians from competing in the UK (European) this summer is sabotaging the principle and integrity of the players’ union ranking system.” professional tennis,” announced the entity representing tennis players.
With this decision, men’s tennis players will not add any points in a tournament played on grass, even if the title is won. “(Wimbledon’s decision) also goes against our arrangement agreement. Aside from the change in circumstances, it is with great regret and hesitation that we see no choice but to remove Wimbledon points this season.”
In the same statement, the FIFPro criticized the British decision to ban Russians and Belarusians. “Unilateral decisions of this kind, if not addressed properly, set a harmful precedent for the rest of the tour. Discrimination by tournaments is simply not applicable on a tour conducted in over 30 countries.”
The ATP decision comes exactly one month after Wimbledon vetoed players from Russia and Belarus. At the time, the organization argued that it was following directions from the government, which was already imposing sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. The ATP argued in its statement that it understood the decision, and understood that there was no mandatory veto.
The ATP has also made it clear that it will keep the results of the other British Championships, although the veto power against the Russians and Belarusians is also valid for these competitions. According to the association, the decision was made because the circuit offers other tournaments in the same period in which tennis players will be able to compete. In the case of Wimbledon, the calendar does not include other tournaments of the same period, due to the greater importance of the major tournaments.
The entity has also warned that it is evaluating potential penalties for the LTA, the United Kingdom’s tennis federation. But this case will be dealt with separately from the question of ranking points. He renewed his condemnation of the invasion of Russia.
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