After weeks of meetings, the ATP announced on Friday the points draw from Wimbledon, the most traditional tournament in tennis, which will take place at the end of June.
The decision came weeks after the event was announced, banning Russians and Belarusians from playing the event due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ATP did not clarify the matter in the announcement, but whether or not athletes who participated in the previous edition will be disqualified or whether they will remain frozen in the next edition.
Check out the full statement from ATP:
“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments on merit and without discrimination is central to our tour. Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the system. It also goes against our classification agreement, unchanged In the circumstances, it is with great regret and hesitation that we see no choice but to remove the 2022 Wimbledon ATP Ranking Points.
Our rules and agreements exist to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this kind, if left unaddressed, set a harmful precedent for the rest of the circuit. Distinguishing by individual tournaments is simply not possible in a circuit that operates in more than 30 countries.
We greatly value our longstanding relationships with Wimbledon and the National Assembly and do not underestimate the difficult decisions we face in responding to recent UK government directives. However, we note that this was an informal directive, not an authorization, which offered an alternative option that would leave the decision in the hands of individual players competing as neutral athletes via a signed ad. Our internal discussions with the players already affected have led us to conclude that this would be a more fun option for the episode. We remain hopeful that further discussions with Wimbledon will lead to an outcome acceptable to all concerned. More broadly, we believe this issue highlights once again the need for a unified management structure across professional tennis so that decisions of this nature can be taken jointly.
Separately, as previously announced, we confirm that ranking points will remain at the ATP Tour events in Queens (ATP 500), Eastbourne (ATP 250) and ATP Tour events in the UK. We have made this decision based on the fact that, unlike Wimbledon, alternative playing opportunities are available for Russian and Belarusian players these weeks, which minimizes any impact on the integration of the rankings. Penalties for violation of ATP rules by the LTA will be evaluated separately.
Our condemnation of Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine remains unequivocal. Immediate action was taken to suspend the ATP Tour event in Moscow and have Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under neutral flags on the Tour. In parallel, we continue our humanitarian support to Ukraine, together with other governing bodies of tennis, as well as providing direct financial assistance to the many affected players. ”
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