ATP and WTA, which manage the male and female circuits, have decided to withdraw the points awarded for the 2022 edition. The tournament organizers do not intend to return to their decision to exclude players due to War in Ukraine.
Le Monde with AFP
Wimbledon could transform this summer into a prestigious gala tournament, without stake for the world ranking: ATP and WTA, which manage the male and female circuits, have indeed decided on Friday May 20 to distribute any points to the adult on lawn if he maintains his decision to exclude Russian and Belarusians due to the war in Ukraine.
“If nothing changes, it is with a huge regret and counter-coeur that we see no other possibility than to withdraw the ATP points in Wimbledon for the 2022 edition”, announced the body in a press release. A position imitated a few minutes later by the WTA. For ATP, if Wimbledon excludes players and players of Russian nationalities and Bélarusse, this is the principle considered as “fundamental” of equity between all players to participate in all tournaments “according to their merit and without discrimination “Who is called into question.
The British Tournament of Grand Chelem announced on April 20 its intention to exclude the Russians and the Belarusses from the 2022 edition because “in the circumstances of an unjustified and unprecedented military assault, it would be unacceptable that the regime Russian takes the slightest benefit from the participation of Russian or Belarusian players “. The adult on lawn, however, said that this decision could be reviewed if the “circumstances change radically by June”.
a “disproportionate” sanction
Friday evening, the organizers of the tournament, scheduled this year between June 27 and July 10, reaffirmed in a press release that they stood in their position and denounced the “disproportionate” and “damaging to decisions for All players on the circuit “taken by world tennis bodies. :
“We deeply regret the consequences of this decision on the persons concerned. However, given the position adopted by the British government to limit the external influence of Russia (…), we continue to think that we We made the only viable decision for Wimbledon as a renowned sporting and institutional event, and we stick to this decision. “
ATP, which accepts Russian and Belarusian players under neutral banner, repeated on Friday that the position of the Wimbledon tournament “called into question” the principle of equity between players as well as “the integrity of the system of Classification “.
“Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of all players. Unilateral decisions of this nature (…) create a precedent damaging to the rest of the circuit. The discrimination set up by tournaments of Their own chief is simply not viable on a circuit that extends in more than 30 countries, “insists ATP.
a” political gesture “poorly accepted
The four Grand Chelem tournaments (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and US Open) do not depend directly on ATP or WTA. But Wimbledon’s decision was very badly welcomed by the vast majority of the world of tennis who sees it as a political gesture and, like Rafael Nadal, “very unfair”.
ATP stresses that Wimbledon followed “recommendations” from the British government which did not have an obligation value and that these “informal recommendations offered an alternative that would have allowed players to participate individually under neutral banner after signing A statement “against the invasion in Ukraine, which would have been” an option more acceptable by ATP “.
The International Federation (ITF) has also announced to withdraw from Wimbledon the points for Junior and Tennis Armchair tournaments programmed during the major fifteen. “ITF’s position remains that Russian and Belarusian players must be allowed to participate as neutral adhesive”, explains the federation which has also prohibited since 1