The ATP announced on Friday that tennis players who compete in this year’s Wimbledon will not receive any ranking points. Furthermore, ranking points from the 2021 Wimbledon were deducted, affecting many players, including big names like Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Former World No. 1s Federer and Williams will lose their world rankings for the first time in their careers.
The decision to deduct ranking points was made in response to Wimbledon’s decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian players from competing in this year’s Grand Slam tournament due to Ukraine’s invasion. The ATP argued that the tournament’s decision to punish players from these countries violated tennis’ ethical values.
As a result, the ATP sought to eliminate ranking points so that players who were unable to compete at Wimbledon would not face career repercussions. Notably, Russian Daniil Medvedev will retain his No. 2 ranking despite being barred from competing in the June tournament.
However, the ATP’s action affects players from other countries as well.
Federer and Williams have not competed in a professional tennis match since Wimbledon last year. Federer had knee surgery last August and was hoping to return this summer if he continues to recover. Eight of his 20 Grand Slams are the result of previous Wimbledon victories. The 40-year-old is tied with Novak Djokovic for the most grand slams (20), trailing Rafael Nadal’s 21.
Williams sprained her ankle in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon in 2021. Since then, the 40-year-old has been recovering, and she recently stated that she intends to compete in this year’s Wimbledon. Wimbledon provided seven of her 23 Grand Slam titles.
Even if these two legends make a comeback at Wimbledon, they won’t be able to earn ranking points until their next tournament. Federer and Williams would lose their world rankings if ATP points were dropped after 52 weeks.
The only way they could maintain their rankings would be to play before Wimbledon began. However, neither player has made any commitments prior to the start of Wimbledon on June 27th.
Federer is ranked No. 46 in the world as of May 2022, while Williams is ranked No. 246 in doubles.
