About a month ago, as many are now aware, the All England Club, organiser of Wimbledon, made the drastic decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament as a strong statement against the war in Ukraine (a stance strongly encouraged by the London government for political reasons). Recently, the ATP circuit responded by announcing that points earned by players during the tournament will not count towards the rankings, while points from the previous edition will effectively be removed.

The ATP justified this decision on its official channels: “The ability for players of any nationality to compete in tournaments solely based on merit and without discrimination is fundamental to our circuit. The decision to exclude Russians and Belarusians undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP rankings, and contravenes our agreement on the ranking mechanism.”

Subsequently, the WTA, which governs the women’s circuit, made a similar announcement.

Therefore, the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, scheduled from 27 June to 10 July, will be effectively a sports exhibition, having no impact on rankings.

However, the All England Club, which has described the ATP’s decision as “disproportionate,” is likely to appeal, with support from the other three Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, and US Open).

The latter have not enacted the same measures against Russian and Belarusian players, yet, together with Wimbledon, form the four most prestigious tournaments in the world, potentially risking significant reputational damage should one of them lose competitive significance during a season.

In the worst-case scenario, the appeal could lead to a serious rift between the Slams and the circuits, with the former potentially establishing a parallel ranking system to the ATP and WTA.

This situation feels familiar, evoking the Super League controversy that recently shook the football world.

However, the appeal has yet to be formally submitted, and one of the ATP’s additional arguments – that players could simply have been admitted as neutrals – adds further complexity to how this matter might unfold.

At present, barring unexpected developments, the 2022 edition of Wimbledon, the oldest tennis event in the world, could end up carrying less value than a Challenger.

By Gianluca Zaghis