The 2022 Wimbledon Championships will be held without any ATP ranking points after the ATP's decision to strip them following Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing in tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom in 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The decision was backed by the British government. It was widely condemned by many players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and many Russian and Belarusian players as well.
The ATP responded to that move by stripping the tournament of points awarded, meaning that there will be only prestige and prize money to play for in 2022. The ATP released a lengthy statement, which reads:
"The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP Ranking system."
"Absent a change in circumstances, it's with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.""
"We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA and do not underestimate the difficult decisions faced in responding to recent UK Government guidance."
"However, we note that this was informal guidance, not a mandate, which offered an alternative option that would have left the decision in the hands of individual players competing as neutral athletes through a signed declaration."
"Our internal discussions with affected players in fact led us to conclude this would have been a more agreeable option for the Tour. We remain hopeful of further discussions with Wimbledon leading to an acceptable outcome for all concerned."
"More broadly, we believe this matter again highlights the need for a united governance structure across professional tennis so that decisions of this nature can be made in a joint manner."