Wimbledon stripped of ranking points as ATP and WTA criticise Russia ban

Tennis bodies say the tournament’s ban, imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, undermines integrity of the ranking system

‘We remain unwilling to accept success or participation at Wimbledon being used to benefit propaganda machine of Russian regime,’ say tournament organisers

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Russian and Belarusian players have been barred from playing at this year’s Wimbledon. Photo: dpa

Published: 4:44pm, 21 May 2022Updated: 4:50pm, 21 May 2022

The world’s most prestigious tennis tournament was set on a collision course with the sport’s global governing bodies after Wimbledon had its ranking points stripped by the ATP and WTA tours over excluding players from Russia and Belarus.

The move by the men’s and women’s tours will reduce Wimbledon to an exhibition event but the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC), Wimbledon’s organiser, repeated its stance that the ban was the only viable option under British government guidance.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also said it would not grant ranking points to Wimbledon this year for junior and wheelchair tennis events.

The AELTC decision to impose the suspension on Russian and Belarusian players at this year’s championships due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is the first time players have been excluded on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War II era when German and Japanese players were banned.

The AELTC on Friday said it was considering its options and was in discussions with other grand-slam tournaments.