No ranking points on offer but Wimbledon no exhibition

Wimbledon starts on Monday without Russia's world number one Daniil Medvedev and Belarus's former top-ranked Victoria Azarenka but the grasscourt Grand Slam will hardly feel like an exhibition event despite no ranking points on offer.

The 2022 edition of the world's most prestigious tennis tournament will be held without points after organisers decided to ban Russian and Belarussian players from participating following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The men's ATP and women's WTA, which do not govern the four tennis Grand Slams, called the move discriminatory while stripping Wimbledon of ranking points that determine a player's ability to enter tournaments and receive seedings.

Britain's Andy Murray won the singles title at the All England club in 2013 and 2016. He feels Wimbledon "will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition" with or without ranking points.

"I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of the @TheMasters gets," the 35-year-old said on Twitter last month.

"Me and my friends love football and none of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the @FIFAWorldCup. But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters."

Novak Djokovic, who lifted the men's singles trophy at the last three editions, will lose the 2,000 points he earned at the 2021 Wimbledon and the Serbian is among many players who will be affected and drop down the rankings due to the decision.

Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka was the highest profile player to express doubts over participating at Wimbledon due to lack of ranking points but last week the Japanese former world number cited a left Achilles injury when pulling out.

While U.S. Open champion