Wimbledon without points? From Paris the anger of the players, and the first forfeits appear …

No vax yes, Russians and Belarusians no, no points awarded and rumors of lowered prize money: so Wimbledon has lost its appeal. In the eyes of the protagonists of the circuit, the most famous tournament in the world would now have all the features of an exhibition, in which there are already those who think they will not take part. First of all Naomi Osaka, former leader of the women’s ranking and four-time Grand Slam champion. After the sensational elimination in the first round of Roland Garros, the Japanese expressed strong opinions regarding the measures taken by the Championships, defining their intentions as good but the execution bad: “I would like to gain experience on grass but I’m not 100% sure of the my presence. I am a player who is excited to see the ranking rise and this decision affects my mentality. “

Boycott

–

Meanwhile, Lucas Pouille is loud and announces that he will not take part in the Grand Slam. The # 165 Atp, who underwent elbow surgery last year, told L’Equipe: “As a player, I was in no way associated with the Wimbledon decision and I disagree. I understand the frustration of the Russians and the injustice that comes with it, I know it has nothing to do with it, but now there is injustice for 240 people instead of 12. We cannot pay the consequences. That wasn’t even a unanimous decision to my knowledge. Initially I signed up for the grass events thinking that Wimbledon is still a Grand Slam tournament, but in the end I don’t think I will participate ”.

The number 1

–

World number one Novak Djokovic is less drastic, according to whom it could have taken different paths. “I heard about the English government document intended for the All England Club. They had several options on the table, but they didn’t discuss them with the ATP or with individual players, not even with Russian and Belarusian tennis players to understand if they could get to a I think it was a wrong decision, I do not support it in any way. “A decision, that of not assigning points, which also directly affects Nole’s # 1 who, as holder of the title, risks falling from the throne as he cannot defending the 2000 points won last July. “Not having the opportunity to defend points at Wimbledon, as well as in Australia, has a very negative impact on me, added the Serbian.” Wimbledon is the tournament I dreamed of winning as a child , I don’t look at it from the point of view of points or prize money, but there must be a criterion and mutual respect. I spoke with the president of the ATP (Andrea Gaudenzi, ed), the managers and some members of the Players Council and I am pleased that the players collectively support the ATP. When someone makes a mistake, and there has been a mistake on the part of the Wimbledon organizers, it has to be shown that there will be consequences. It is difficult to say what is right and what is not. It is the classic situation where someone will suffer more than others. In the end, they all lose ”.

Alternatives

–

Lucid Dusan Lajovic’s comment and alternative solution (n. 64 Atp) regarding the issue of expiring points: “Not assigning points was the only way that the ATP had to take a position. I don’t know why they didn’t freeze last year’s points. By doing so they would certainly have done less damage to the players. I think some will miss the tournament, although many have told me they are going to go. I will be there”. Zen calm and a desire to collaborate transpire in the words of Victoria Azarenka: “We knew that the decision not to award points would be criticized, but we must all be one. The matter should be handled internally. I am available to speak to any player and explain everything behind this decision. ”

Nadal

–

Thus the 13-time Roland Garros champion after his winning debut with Thompson: “I don’t have a definite opinion. In the end, I understand both sides. I respect and understand the position of Wimbledon but on the other hand I also understand and respect the ATP which is trying to protect its members “. Rafa is not unbalanced. “In tournaments, there is always one person or board that makes the decision, and the rest has to go in that direction. On the Tour every player has a different opinion and that’s why we never achieve the things we could achieve if we were united ”.