It's almost unheard of that a Grand Slam tournament will not reward competing players with ranking points, but that will likely happen at Wimbledon.
According to reputable sources, Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing at the Championships this year has been received with immense exasperation by the ATP and WTA, the two primary governing bodies of men's and women's tennis.
The All England Club's decision was made in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus is considered a key ally. Consequently, players from Russia and Belarus will now bear the brunt for actions undertaken by their governments.
Some of the big names who will miss the event include Daniil Medvedev, who won his first Grand Slam at the US Open last season, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, and Aslan Karatsev.
In a tweet shared by American tennis reporter Jon Wertheim, the ATP is "unlikely" to grant ranking points for both Wimbledon and the preceding warm-up tournaments on grass.
"Hearing @atptour is Unlikely to grant/acknowledge ranking points for Wimbledon or British grass events in response to ban on Russian players… Storyline to follow: the @LaverCup will be held in London in September. Does this event follow lead of @Wimbledon or break?"
Last month, WTA CEO Steve Simon reacted strongly to Wimbledon's stance, which he believes nullified the principle of meritocracy and promoted discrimination.
It is believed that the ATP and WTA worked in tandem with relevant stakeholders in meetings during the joint Tour-level tournaments in Madrid and now in Rome to arrive at this decision, which will be expected at some point soon.
The points-stripping decision will now mean the only incentives players would have are prestige and prize money, which is good enough for most of them. Several non-Russian players, including Novak Djokovic, have criticized Wimbledon for imposing the ban.
The UK Government backed the decision of the Lawn Tennis Association and Wimbledon. The WTA is, according to reports not close to following the ATP in that decision at the moment.
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