Top men at odds with Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON’S leaders are in crisis talks with the ATP after top men’s players urged the tour to withdraw ranking points from the tournament due to the ban on competitors from Russia and Belarus.

Wimbledon and the other three grand slams are worth 2000 ranking points each to the winner of the men’s and women’s singles, making them twice as important as the nextbiggest category of events.

The players say it is unfair to award ranking points if players such as world No.2 Daniil Medvedev are barred.

The ATP is due to make a decision before the end of the week. So far there has been no move by the women’s tour to consider withdrawing the ranking points.

Wimbledon has told the ATP it will not back down and insiders have pointed to the original justification for the ban.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club said last month it was acting to “limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible. In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players.”