ATP Chief Andrea Gaudenzi says ranking points could be awarded at Wimbledon if ban on Russian and Belarusian players is lifted

Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the tournament has been a contentious issue for a while now. The ATP and WTA responded by stripping ranking points from the tournament.

ATP Chief Andrea Gaudenzi recently spoke to the Italian press about the matter. He stated that Wimbledon's decision to ban the players was a unilateral one, and the ATP's response to it was out of fairness. He also said that that all concerned parties should've been in the loop.

"The reason why we removed the points at Wimbledon is known; it is a matter of fairness and discrimination in response to a unilateral decision of the tournament that we do not consider right. Such a decision should have been taken collectively involving all seven components of tennis," Gaudenzi said.

The ATP chief further mentioned that they'd be happy to reinstate points provided the ban is reversed.

"We would be very happy to return the points to Wimbledon if the ban on Russians and Belarusians, who have said they are willing to make written statements because none of them is in favour of war, were lifted," added Gaudenzi.

"We can’t protect seven or eight players by creating even more damage to everyone else" - Andrea Gaudenzi

Day One: The Championships - 2021

As per Gaudenzi, the only way to ensure the rankings reflect the points accrued this year is by ensuring the availability of the same number of ranking points for all.

"From a ranking point of view, we want to have a ranking in 2022 where each player had access to the same number of points. This is the only way to have a fair ranking at the end of the year," said Gaudenzi.

Gaudenzi stated that if the rankings favored those who did well last year, it would be unfair to those who performed well this year. He added that the ATP can't protect a few at the expense of many, and disclosed that the ATP's stance is backed by the WTA as well.

"If we gave protection to those who played well at Wimbledon in 2021 it would be even more unfair to those who play well in 2022, because the points would still expire after 52 weeks as always happens. We can’t protect seven or eight players by creating even more damage to everyone else. Unfortunately, Wimbledon points will be missing in the year-end ranking, but from our point of view it is the fairest choice and WTA agrees with us," he added.