"Politics are taking away 4000 points from Novak Djokovic this year" - Tennis fans fume as ATP and WTA announce decision to strip ranking points from Wimbledon

The ATP and WTA's decision to withhold ranking points from Wimbledon hasn't gone over well with fans
The ATP and WTA's decision to withhold ranking points from Wimbledon hasn't gone over well with fans

Wimbledon's decision to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from the tournament due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has not gone over well with most tennis fans. Many players were also unhappy with the decision, with stars like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and others expressing their displeasure over the verdict.

Tennis fans were waiting to see the consequences the decision would have for the event, and the response from the governing men's and women's tennis bodies has been rather unprecedented. Both the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) have decided not to award points to any players at this year's tournament.

Tennis fans on social media were unanimous in their opposition to the entire saga. Most users on Twitter see this as yet another instance of politics interfering with sports, very similar to what transpired earlier this year in Australia with Novak Djokovic's visa controversy.

"Politics are taking away 4000 points from Novak Djokovic alone this year," one fan wrote.
"So Wimbledon ban Russians which results in ATP/WTA protesting by removing points (not allowing players to keep last year's points like during covid) which ironically then results in Medvedev becoming No. 1 without even playing. Guess who exactly this is hurting…of course Novak again," another fan lamented.
"They’re not punishing Wimbledon, they’re punishing Novak. Imagine him winning RG and Wimbledon and losing the No. 1 spot to Medvedev who didn’t win anything this year. And fedal wouldn’t know. At least people are seeing," one user tweeted.

Some fans are also of the opinion that it will make no difference to the majority of casual viewers and that the decision will not devalue Wimbledon.

"This'll make no difference to the majority of the typical audience that watches Wimbledon who tune in to tennis once a year and have no clue that there's even an ATP tour to begin with," another account posted.

ATP stripping points from Wimbledon could play a key role in the World No. 1 race

Novak Djokovic is defending 2000 points at the tournament, while Medvedev has only 180 to lose
Novak Djokovic is defending 2000 points at the tournament, while Medvedev has only 180 to lose

With the ATP announcing its decision not to award any points to players at SW19 this year, the year-end World No. 1 race will get a lot more interesting. Novak Djokovic is the defending champion at Wimbledon, meaning that he will lose 2000 points once the tournament draws to a close on July 10.

Daniil Medvedev, on the other hand, is defending only 180 points due to a fourth-round exit last year. With Djokovic defending far more points than the Russian at the upcoming French Open as well (2000 points compared to 360), the Serb will need to put in an extraordinary performance in the next few weeks to remain ahead of Medvedev.

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