“Good lesson”: Wimbledon sanctioned for non-admission of Russians

ATP, WTA, ITF and Wimbledon statements

Tennis players are one of the few athletes in Russia to be only partially affected by the sanctions. The performances of the national teams of Russia and Belarus were banned, and all tournaments in the country were canceled, but individual athletes have the opportunity to continue playing in a neutral state. However, not all tournaments agreed to allow tennis players from these countries, and at the end of April, the organizers of prestigious Wimbledon, one of the Grand Slam tournaments, announced that Russian and Belarusian tennis players were not accepted. This decision had a huge impact, even criticized by foreign tennis players – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas. Billie Jean King, the outstanding winner of 39 Grand Slam tournaments, member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, spoke out against the ban from Russians and Belarusians. Wimbledon’s decision did not change that, but it brought sanctions.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has released the first statement pointing out that it is essential for the Association that players of any nationality can participate in tournaments on the basis of merit and without discrimination.

“Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing in England this summer undermines that principle and the integrity of the ATP ranking system. It is also against our rating agreement.

It is with great regret and reluctance that we see no other option but to remove the ATP Ranking Points from Wimbledon 2022.

Our rules and agreements exist to protect the rights of players in general. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if not addressed, set a devastating precedent for the remainder of the Tour. It is absolutely impossible to discriminate based on individual tournaments on the Tour, which is held in more than 30 countries,” the message says.

At the same time, he noted that the rating points will remain in the tournaments in ATP, London (ATP 500), Eastbourne (ATP 250) and ATP Challenger, because these tournaments are a game alternative for Russian and Belarusian tennis players. This minimizes the impact on the honesty of the rating.

Following the Men’s Association, a similar statement was made by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The message emphasized that 50 years ago the WTA was founded on the fundamental principle that all players have an equal opportunity to compete on the basis of merit and without discrimination, and that individual athletes should not be penalized for a particular nationality.

“Our position is to preserve the equal opportunity that WTA players must compete with as individuals. If we do not take this position, we will abandon our core principle and allow the WTA to set an example in promoting discrimination based on nationality at other events and in other parts of the world. “The WTA will continue to enforce its rules to reject such discrimination.”

After the ATP and WTA, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) decided not to award points to Wimbledon – in this case we are talking about participants in the junior tournament and wheelchair users.

“Today the ITF confirmed its decision not to award qualifying points for Wimbledon 2022 for youth and wheelchair tennis events that are part of the Grand Slam tournament. Tournament organizers cannot unilaterally enter entry criteria that do not meet the general criteria. In accordance with its protocols, the ITF has the right to withdraw ranking points.

The conditions that prohibit Russians and Belarusians from participating in Wimbledon jeopardize the integrity of the international rating system and the equality of all athletes, ”said the director.

The organizers of the Wimbledon tournament noted that they were disappointed with the position of the ATP, WTA and ITF, but that the UK government made the only right decision for the tournament based on its position to limit Russia’s global influence. broad response from government, industry, sport and creative organizations.

We would like to express our deep disappointment at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF regarding the removal of qualifying points from Wimbledon. We consider these decisions to be disproportionate to the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we find ourselves in, and to be detrimental to all players participating in the Tour.

How did they react in Russia?

Commenting on the decision not to award points, Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian Tennis Federation (FTR), said that it was absolutely correct.

“We believe this is an absolutely fair decision. It’s good to see that the ATP sticks to what has been said before. That’s true. RIA Novosti orders every organization that stands by the athletes to be respected,” said Tarpishchev.

Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a two-time Grand Slam winner, expressed his satisfaction with the way both men’s and women’s associations defend the rights of athletes. He also expressed the opinion that the USA and Australia could also go to the exclusion of the Russians from the tournaments.

“The ATP decision is a good sign what will happen to the organizers of other tournaments that can follow the example of Wimbledon. It is a good lesson for them because that way the Grand Slam title is devalued. Although they can participate in the tournament, all the leading tennis players will perform and compete for the championship. a title is a title, and points are points, ”quoting RIA Novosti Kafelnikov.

It is important to note one more thing about Wimbledon points. Points earned last year will be forfeited. Thus, Novak Djokovic, who won in London in 2021, will lose 2,000 points and lose the first place in the ATP standings. This could allow Russian Daniil Medvedev to become the world’s first racket once again, reaching the fourth round last year and scoring just 180 points.

How did foreign tennis players react?

Hungarian tennis player Marton Fucovich has criticized the ATP’s decision precisely because last season’s points will run out, and therefore will lose several dozen positions by flying out of the top 150 in the standings.

“The qualifying points won’t be at Wimbledon. But they’ll be wiped out in 2021. There’s no chance of keeping them. ATP, are you serious? I’m down from line 60 to place 130. Thank you!” Fucovic wrote on social media.

The Frenchman Benoit Per called such a decision stupid, and the American Reilly Opelka ironically admitted that he “cannot wait for this exhibition tournament”. Ukrainian tennis players especially expressed their dissatisfaction with the development of events. Sergei Stakhovsky said that he was extremely disappointed, and Alexander Dolgopolov sharply criticized the ATP and WTA.

Well done ATP and WTA, you made the #1 Russian propagandist happy by scoring Wimbledon. Of course, this will spread all over the Russian propaganda. Terrible decision. You won’t be able to sit in two chairs,” he said.