Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament following the invasion of Ukraine was wrong and lacked respect, world number one Novak Djokovic said.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) took the decision following Russia’s invasion in February, which Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.
As a result, Wimbledon was stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and WTA Tours over its decision to exclude players from the two countries.
Rankings determine a player’s ability to enter tennis events and receive seedings.