At least at the outset, before a tennis ball is struck, this edition of Wimbledon is as much about who — and what — is missing as who’s here.
The 2022 edition of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament will be held without points after organisers decided to ban Russian and Belarussian players from participating following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The men’s ATP and women’s WTA, which do not govern the four tennis Grand Slams, called the move discriminatory while stripping Wimbledon of ranking points that determine a player’s ability to enter tournaments and receive seedings.
It is the first time players have been excluded from Wimbledon on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were banned but it was the only viable option under the guidance provided by the British government, the organisers said.
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Russian and Belarussian players are currently banned from international team competitions but they can compete as individual athletes without the flag.
They were allowed to participate in the French Open at Roland Garros while there will be no restrictions against them in two months’ time at the U.S. Open – the year’s final Grand Slam in New York.
“It’s a mistake,” International Tennis Hall of Fame member Martina Navratilova said about the ban. “What are they supposed to do, leave the country? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion who will play in the first match in Centre Court on Monday, looked at the situation this way: “It’s really hard to say what is right, what is wrong.”
“As a child of a war — several wars, actually, during the ’90s, I know what it feels like being in (the Ukrainians’) position,” the 35-year-old from Serbia said. “But at the other hand, I can’t say I fully agree (with deciding) to ban Russian tennis players, Belarusian tennis players, from competing indefinitely. I just don’t see how they have contributed to anything that is really happening. I mean, I don’t feel it’s fair.”
The two professional tours reacted by pulling their ranking points from Wimbledon, an unprecedented move in a sport built around the rankings in so many ways. In turn, some athletes opted not to show up, including 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.
For others, though, it was a no-doubt-about-it decision to show up. This is, after all, Wimbledon, with its unique surface and long-standing traditions, its powerful prestige and — let’s face it — tens of millions in prize money.
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“It’s definitely hard to swallow that there are no points. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m happy about it. But the cards are dealt. At the end of the day, if I tell my mom I’m not playing Wimbledon, she’d be like, ‘Are you nuts?!’ So I’m going to go, no doubt,” said Frances Tiafoe, an American who is seeded 24th in the men’s field. “It’s out of everybody’s hands. It’s a tough situation, a crazy time. And it’s not just about you. It’s not a ‘Why me?’ problem.”
Practice Time
Wimbledon’s star names though, had some training sessions on the courts on a sunny Sunday afternoon on the eve of the start of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
All-time grand slam leader Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who has won the last three Wimbledon’s on the trot, will be backed to go deep in the tournament as they look to make more history.
Home favourites Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray, Wimbledon champion in 2013 and 2016, will also be participating as Raducanu will seek to live up to the hype after a sensational run at her debut in the tournament last year was topped by a fairy-tale win at the U.S. Open.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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