PARIS | We are at Roland-Garros, most of the first round matches of the main draw have been played. But it is however Wimbledon which has been on everyone’s lips since Friday and the joint announcement of the ATP and the WTA stipulating that no ranking points would be awarded this year to the All England Club.
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The decision, a form of retaliation for the English tournament’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes due to their country’s involvement in the armed invasion of Ukraine, is still divisive among players even four days later. .
Japan’s Noami Osaka thinks she won’t play in London. The Spaniard Rafael Nadal says he understands both the decision of the ATP and that of Wimbledon. American Sloane Stephens, a member of the players’ council, believes the WTA has made the right choice.
No points, no interest
Of the lot, Osaka was undoubtedly the sharpest, Monday at a press conference.
Without the possibility of collecting points at Wimbledon, the former world number 1 does not believe that she will play at the All England Club at the end of June.
“I’d like to go there to get experience on grass, but at the same time it’s a bit pointless,” explained Osaka, who dropped to 38and rank after taking a few breaks from tennis in the past year.
“I am the type of player motivated by the progression of my ranking, added the four-time Grand Slam champion. So I think the intention [de la WTA] was good, but that the execution is going a bit off the charts. »
Nadal doesn’t want to get too wet
In its announcement on Friday, the ATP, which federates men’s tennis, but not the four Grand Slam events, justified its decision by saying that the banishment of Russians and Belarusians came in particular “undermining the integrity of the ranking system “.
The Wimbledon tournament, which chose to exclude these two nations on the recommendation of the English government, meanwhile affirmed that it would not back down.
“We remain reluctant to allow successes at Wimbledon to be used for propaganda purposes by the Russian regime,” read a statement released by the tournament.
As a good diplomat, Nadal, fifth favorite in Paris, has not closed the door to the idea of playing on the London lawn, where he has already won two titles. He said he “understands” and “respects” both sides.
“The ATP board has made a decision, and we have to accept it. […] Players, we are not prepared enough to make important decisions, because we play an individual sport,” added the Spanish veteran.
A lot of work
Stephens, for his part, believes that the whole team of the WTA players’ council has worked hard “to ensure that everyone has their place” at Wimbledon, but that in the end, the decision that was made “is the right one”.
The 64and racquet in the world and winner of the 2017 US Open, however, regrets that some players were misinformed.
This is particularly the case of Quebecer Leylah Fernandez, who refused to comment on the situation in the last few days, saying that she did not have enough information on what had been going on behind the scenes before the announcement.
“It’s not quite fair, it’s true,” Stephens said. […] But the decision that was made was not taken lightly. When we’re a little stuck, that’s what we do. »