Wimbledon stands by player ban and hits out at 'disproportionate' move to remove ranking points

The All England Club has defended its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Wimbledon, in light of the ATP and WTA’s move to remove ranking points from the event. The third major of the year will resemble a high-class exhibition event, albeit one with Grand Slams and huge prize money on the line, after the governing bodies announced no ranking points would be accrued as not all players were able to compete.

Ad/> Wimbledon took its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian competitors following the invasion of Ukraine. WimbledonATP and WTA confirm no ranking points at Wimbledon due to Russian and Belarusian ban4 HOURS AGO The All England Club defended its stance in the face of the ranking points announcement, insisting it did not want to hand Russia the chance to piggyback on the event — and described the governing bodies’ move as ‘disproportionate’.

The statement read: “We appreciate that opinions differ in relation to our decision to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships this year, and we deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected. “However, given the position taken by the UK Government to limit Russia's global influence, which removed automatic entry by ranking, and the widespread response of Government, industry, sport and creative institutions, we remain of the view that we have made the only viable decision for Wimbledon as a globally renowned sporting event and British institution, and we stand by the decision we have made.