World number one Novak Djokovic has criticized the waiver of ranking points at this year’s grass tournament in Wimbledon.
“I think it was a wrong decision,” Djokovic said after his first-round win at the French Open.
The men’s organization ATP and the women’s organization WTA had decided that there would be no points for the respective world rankings in the tennis classic this year.
The reason for this is the exclusion of professionals from Russia and Belarus by the organizers in Wimbledon because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. ATP and WTA had criticized this decision and now took the consequences.
Djokovic is particularly affected by the regulation because, as the defending champion, he now loses 2000 points and very likely his first place in the world rankings.
But he was glad that the ATP and the players had made it clear to the Wimbledon organizers that their decision to exclude professionals from Russia and Belarus was wrong.
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old Serb would have preferred a different arrangement. “I think the ATP could have found a middle ground too. They could have dropped the points for this year but froze them from last year,” said Djokovic. However, the entire constellation is very complex for all sides. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” said the number one in the world.