Wimbledon 2022: No Russians, no rankings, but Serena Williams is back
- Williams makes her singles return after a year on the sidelines at a Wimbledon marred by the ban on Russia and Belarus players and the tournament’s loss of ranking points
- French Open champion and top-ranked Iga Swiatek enters on a 35-match winning streak, while Novak Djokovic bids for a fourth consecutive championship
At least at the outset, before a tennis ball is struck, this edition of Wimbledon is as much about who – and what – is missing as who’s here.
And that’s even taking this into account: It is no small matter that the grass-court grand slam tournament marks the return of Serena Williams to singles play after a year away.
The No 1-ranked man, Daniil Medvedev, was barred from competing by the All England Club, along with every other player from Russia and Belarus, because of the war in Ukraine.
“It’s a mistake,” International Tennis Hall of Fame member Martina Navratilova said about the ban. “What are they supposed to do, leave the country? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
The two professional tours reacted by pulling their ranking points from Wimbledon, an unprecedented move in a sport built around the rankings in so many ways. In turn, some athletes opted not to show up, including 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.
For others, though, it was a no-doubt-about-it decision to show up. This is, after all, Wimbledon, with its unique surface and long-standing traditions, its powerful prestige and – let’s face it – tens of millions in prize money.
“It’s definitely hard to swallow that there are no points. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m happy about it. But the cards are dealt. At the end of the day, if I tell my mum I’m not playing Wimbledon, she’d be like, ‘Are you nuts?!’ So I’m going to go, no doubt,” said Frances Tiafoe, an American who is seeded 24th in the men’s field.
“It’s out of everybody’s hands. It’s a tough situation, a crazy time. And it’s not just about you. It’s not a ‘Why me?’ problem.”
