Following the French Open, tennis fans around the world are preparing themselves for the return to the grass-court at Wimbledon. The tournament held at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) will start on the 27th June and there is much anticipation surrounding how it will unfold. Last week it was announced that the ATP and WTA decided to strip Wimbledon of its World Ranking points after the AELTC banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing. The decision has sparked discussion on both sides and has repercussions for both players and the tournament.

Wimbledon holds great significance in the WTA and ATP tours, and many look forward to seeing how their favourite players tackle the grass-court and how the tournament shifts the World Rankings. This year, however, Wimbledon does not hold as much significance to the World Rankings. The decision to remove ranking points means that WTA and ATP players will not receive any points for playing in the tournament, rendering the tournament essentially pointless for many. Instead, I believe that the only draw to the tournament is the title and the money, making it an exhibition. By missing the tournament other players can focus on tournaments with more prominence in the ATP and WTA ranking so that they do not risk injury and fatigue and thus fall out of contention for higher ranking positions.

One player the decision affects is Novak Djokovic. After missing out on the Australian Open due to his vaccination status, the decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon means he has lost a potential 4000 points. He told The Independent, that the AELTC’s ban of Belarusian and Russian players was a ‘lose-lose situation,’ however he said that he still intends to compete on the infamous grass-courts because Wimbledon is more than ‘points and money.’

Although a pointless tournament is a knock in Djokovic’s season, the Russian and Belarussian players are most affected by the decision. The players include Daniil Medvedev who was briefly World Number 1 earlier in the year; World Number 8 Rublev, who earlier this year wrote ‘no war please’ on a camera in Dubai; former World Number 1 Victoria Azarenka and many others.

Wimbledon, in a statement, argued they did not want Russia to use player’s success in propaganda and suggested it was to not risk the safety of the players and families by making them sign a declaration that they are against the war. Amelie Mauresmo, former Number One and current French Open Tournament Director, told Sporting News there is ‘no fair decision to take’ but ‘we keep the line of what all European Governments and other governments decided,’ to allow athletes to compete under strict neutrality.

Wimbledon is just around the corner, but with the state of the tournament and the attitude of the players, many are sceptical about how it will unfold. Wimbledon will be lacking some big names this year, due to bans, others opting out in solidarity, or some not wanting to risk injury on a pointless tournament. As a result, it leaves the door open for British talent to shine on home-turf due to less competition. It will be interesting to see how Raducanu performs after her debut at the tournament last year.

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