The ATP and WTA have opted to punish Wimbledon for their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from The Championships this summer, with Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu set to be among the big losers.
Wimbledon and Lawn Tennis Association chiefs opted to ban players from Russia and Belarus last month in response to the invasion of Ukraine, which is still ongoing by troops from the two nations.
That sparked a long debate over how tennis should handle the crisis, with several players from Russia and Belarus at the top end of the rankings in men’s and women’s game.
Even though several players on both the ATP and WTA Tours have expressed their opposition to the move to remove ranking points from the third Grand Slam of the tennis season, the announcement was made on Friday.
The ITF also confirmed they would be stopping ranking points away from the junior and wheelchair event at Wimbledon this year, with the ramification of these decisions now set to be revealed.
The biggest loser from this controversial decision looks set to be world No.1 Djokovic, who will not have a chance to defend the 2,000 ranking points he collected by clinching the Wimbledon title last year.
It means Djokovic is almost certain to lose his No.1 ranking, even if he defends his French Open and Wimbledon titles over the next few weeks.
Ironically, this decision may well ensure that Russia’s Daniil Medvedev will return to the top of the ATP rankings the day after Wimbledon concludes, even though he will be banned from playing at the All England Club.
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini will lose 1,200 points after his run to last year’s Wimbledon final and will almost certainly drop out of the top 10 in the ATP rankings.
This news is also a blow for Britain’s Emma Raducanu (above), who will lose the 240 ranking points she collected for her run to the last-16 at Wimbledon last year.
It remains to be seen how players aligned to both the ATP and WTA Tours react to this decision, with many already expressing a public view that they had not been fully consulted on the decision.
