Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chief executive Steve Simon has formally recommended that Wimbledon be stripped of rankings points because of its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, according to a report in the UK.
Simon is said to have made the recommendation at a conference call with leading women’s stars on Tuesday evening, Daily Mail tennis correspondent Mike Dickson has said. The WTA has yet to announce any official decision on the issue.
Other UK grass court events this summer will not suffer the same punishment, the report adds.
The ATP announced this week that it would not be removing rankings points from UK events in the build-up to Wimbledon, although a decision from the men’s tour on the Grand Slam itself is still “under review.”
WTA chief Simon has been particularly vocal in his criticism of punishments for individual players, saying ahead of the Wimbledon ban that Russians and Belarusians should not be “picked on” due to the policies of their governments.
Both the WTA and ATP allow Russian and Belarusian stars to compete as neutrals at tour events.
An official WTA statement suggested the Wimbledon sanctions were discriminatory following the announcement by organizers the All England Club and the UK’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in April that Russian and Belarusian players would not be invited to any British events this summer because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Removing rankings points from Wimbledon is seen as the biggest retaliatory step that the WTA and ATP could take in response.
It would effectively turn the SW19 showpiece into an exhibition event – albeit one with a lucrative total prize fund of around £35 million ($43.5 million).
Stripping other UK events of points this June – such as the ATP tournament at Queen’s or WTA competitions at Birmingham, Eastbourne and Nottingham – could be considered less necessary as players have other grass court tournaments available outside of Britain during that period.
Being barred from Wimbledon, however, not only deprives Russian and Belarusian players of prize money but also the mammoth rankings points on offer which come with a Grand Slam – where the men’s and women’s champions gain 2,000 points each.
According to the Mail, another potential punishment for the UK could be losing the chance to host a planned new Masters 1000 ATP event prior to Wimbledon. The Queen’s Club in London had purportedly been one of the favorites to host the tournament.
Among the big-name Russian stars set to miss the Grand Slam at SW19 this summer are men’s top-10 duo Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, while prominent Belarusian women’s aces Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka will also be sidelined.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Azarenka, a member of the WTA Player Council, said last month that Wimbledon must face consequences for its actions.
“There should be a reaction to that,” said the 32-year-old.
“When you take action, there are consequences. The one that Wimbledon takes, the one that WTA might take [in response].
“If you are asking me if I agree with Wimbledon or I see their reasoning after being on a personal call with them, I don’t see their reasoning.”
Wimbledon chiefs have denied the ban is discriminatory and have defended it by arguing it is in line with UK government policy.
It has also been claimed that allowing the likes of Medvedev to line up when the event gets underway on June 27 would somehow be a victory for the “propaganda machine of the Russian regime.”
Russian and Belarusian players are free to compete under neutral status at the French Open, with the second Grand Slam of the year getting underway at Roland-Garros this Sunday, May 22.