The ATP ranking points for the events in Queen's and Eastbourne will not be deducted due to a decision to prohibit players from Russia and Belarus.
In recent weeks, the sporting world has reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by enforcing bans on athletes from Russian and Belarusian nations. These sanctions have also extended to tennis, with British events Queen's, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon banning players from the two countries for 2022.
Yet, these controversial decisions have been supported by the ATP, which announced that the three UK-based tennis events would go ahead following consultations with players via the ATP Player Council.
Again, this decision followed weeks of players and high-profile figures in tennis putting forward their opinions on the matter. However, one area that was not clear related to points and whether they would stand at Eastbourne, Queen's, and Wimbledon.
While the ATP announced in a statement that the lower-ranked Eastbourne and Queen's competitions would retain ATP points, a decision is yet to be made on Wimbledon 2022.
"Following extensive consultation with the Player Council and Tournament Council, the ATP Board has today confirmed that this season's ATP Tour events in Queen's and Eastbourne will proceed as normal, offering full ATP rankings points."
"LTA's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes is however contrary to ATP rules and undermines the ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination - a fundamental principle of the ATP Tour."
"Sanctions related to LTA's violation of ATP rules will now be assessed separately under ATP governance. ATP's response to Wimbledon's decision remains under review, with more to be communicated in due course."
Presently, the men's winners at Eastbourne 2022 would receive 250 ranking points, while the runner-up would get 150 points. In the women's draw, the numbers are slightly higher with 470 for the winner and 305 points for the other finalist at the grass-court tournament.
Queen's is a men's only competition, and it is an ATP 500 category event, meaning higher prize money and points are awarded to the players. As a result, the losing finalist would receive 300 ATP ranking points, while the eventual winner would get 500 points.
Players and the All England Club now face a nervous wait to see what the ATP's outcome is on points at Wimbledon 2022. More is potentially at stake here as removing the points would mean the winner misses out on 2,000 ranking points, which can make a huge difference in the rankings.
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