Wimbledon on collision course with ATP, WTA over Russia, Belarus ban
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[May 21, 2022] (Reuters)
-The world’s most prestigious tennis
tournament was on Friday 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 AELTC, organisers of the Grand Slam,
repeated their stance that the ban was the only viable option under
British government guidance.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also said it will 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 Two era
when German and Japanese players were banned.
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The AELTC on Friday said they were considering their options and
were in discussions with their Grand Slam colleagues.
"In addition, we remain unwilling to accept success or participation
at Wimbledon being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the
Russian regime," the AELTC said in a statement.
"We therefore wish to state our deep disappointment at the decisions
taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for The
Championships.
"We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of
the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the
position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who
compete on Tour."
RANKING INTEGRITY
The ATP and WTA have themselves banned Russia and Belarus from
international team competitions following the invasion, which Moscow
calls a 'special operation', but allowed players from the two
countries to compete as neutrals.
"The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments
based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our
Tour," the ATP said in a statement.
"The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players
from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and
the integrity of the ATP Ranking system. It is also inconsistent
with our Rankings agreement.
"Absent a change in circumstances, it is with great regret and
reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points
from Wimbledon for 2022."
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WTA chief Steve Simon said the tour believes athletes participating
in an individual sport "should not be penalised or prevented from
competing solely because of their nationalities or the decisions
made by the governments of their countries."
"The recent decisions made by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC)
and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to ban athletes from competing
in the upcoming UK grass court events violate that fundamental
principle," Simon said.
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General view of the Wimbledon logo on the base of the handle of a
tennis racquet REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
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"As a result of the AELTC's position that it will
not honour its obligation to use the WTA Rankings for entry into
Wimbledon and proceed with a partial field not based on merit, the
WTA has made the difficult decision to not award WTA ranking points
for this year’s Wimbledon Championships."
BAN SLAMMED
Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors has been
slammed by top players such as 21-times Grand Slam champion Rafa
Nadal who labelled it unfair, while world number one Novak Djokovic
said he did not support the decision.
"Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of
players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if
unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour," the
ATP added.
"Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a
Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.
"We remain hopeful of further discussions with Wimbledon leading to
an acceptable outcome for all concerned.
"More broadly, we believe this matter again highlights the need for
a united governance structure across professional tennis so that
decisions of this nature can be made in a joint manner."
TUNE-UP EVENTS
Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) also reciprocated the
Wimbledon ban by excluding players from the two countries from its
tune-up tour events.
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However, the WTA said its tournaments at Nottingham, Birmingham, and
Eastbourne would go ahead with ranking points on offer as
"alternative and comparable playing and ranking point opportunities
exist in the same weeks".
The ATP had also said earlier this week that its events at Queen's
and Eastbourne will proceed as normal, offering full ATP ranking
points.
While the LTA tournaments will continue to offer full ranking
points, the British governing body is under review for sanctions
from the ATP and WTA.
The ITF justified its decision not to award ranking points to
Wimbledon this year for junior and wheelchair tennis events by
saying it undermines the integrity of the competition.
"The ITF has determined that Wimbledon's entry criteria banning
Russians and Belarusians compromises the integrity of its
international competition, in particular its ranking system, as
there is a lack of alternative equivalent opportunities for players
to compete for ranking points and prize money," the ITF said.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai and Manasi Pathak in
Bengaluru; editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris)
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