ATP strip Wimbledon of ranking points after decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing

The ATP have decided to strip 2022 Wimbledon which is due to take place between 27 June - 10 July, 2022 of all ranking points after the decision was taken to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing this summer at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club.

The reasoning as such in their statement is that the main principle of the ATP Tour and the ranking system is for players of any nationality to enter based on merit and without discrimination despite continuing to condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

They have left it open for this decision to be reversed but only if the circumstances change regarding the ban.

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"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," said the statement released by the ATP.

"Absent a change in circumstances, it's with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries."

"We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA and do not underestimate the difficult decisions faced in responding to recent UK Government guidance.

"However, we note that this was informal guidance, not a mandate, which offered an alternative option that would have left the decision in the hands of individual players competing as neutral athletes through a signed declaration.

Our internal discussions with affected players in fact led us to conclude this would have been a more agreeable option for the Tour.

"We remain hopeful of further discussions with Wimbledon leading to an acceptable outcome for all concerned. More broadly, we believe this matter again highlights the need for a united governance structure across professional tennis so that decisions of this nature can be made in a joint manner. "

This does not affect tournaments prior to Wimbledon which have offered the opportunity for players in both the ATP and WTA to play such as Queen's and Eastbourne in the UK. The WTA have yet to release a statement as of time of writing but Steve Simon, the current WTA chief has said it is an idea they would be backing.

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Ben Rothenberg

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BREAKING: ATP removes ranking points from #Wimbledon this year because of their ban of Russian and Belarusian players.

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