Andrey Rublev has been honest about why he thinks that both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play at Wimbledon, despite no ranking points being awarded at the tournament.
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has led to controversy surrounding Wimbledon. The third Grand Slam of the year is due to get underway on June 27th, a few weeks after the French Open concludes.
However, tournament organizers split opinion in the tennis world by banning Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament. This was due to Russia's actions in Ukraine, which are supported by the Belarusian government.
The move was strongly opposed by the ATP and WTA Tours, who responded by announcing that no ranking points would be awarded at Wimbledon since this would be unfair to the players who are banned.
Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have openly criticized Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players. By contrast, Djokovic felt the point stripping was necessary, while Nadal refused to take a position on it.
Some fans are worried that the two legends of the sport could boycott the event due to no points being awarded. But Rublev has said why he does not believe that will happen.
"Nadal and Djokovic are not playing to win points or money, they're playing to win the most number of Slams. So I guess they will play in Wimbledon."
There have been no public indications from Nadal or Djokovic that they are planning to boycott Wimbledon. However, it is important to note that the event is still over a month away, and both players are currently focused on the French Open.
Nonetheless, Rublev's opinion may be some reassurance to tennis fans. His argument that the pair are more motivated by winning big tournaments than points or prize money at this stage of their careers does seem to be logical.