Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini has criticized the ATP for a lack of communication over their decision to remove points from this year’s championships.
For the first time since the ATP ranking system was introduced, points will not be awarded at The All England Club in response to their decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players. Earlier this year Wimbledon became the first Grand Slam event to introduce such a ban in response to the Ukrainian War. Breaking away from the sports united approach to the issue where those players had been allowed to compete on the Tour but as neutral athletes. Officials said their move was based on advice from the British government and they didn’t want to risk fueling Russian propaganda.
As a consequence, some players will face a drop in their ranking regardless of how well they perform at Wimbledon. This is because the points they earned at last year’s tournament will eventually drop off. For example Berrettini, who was runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final, is now facing the prospect of exiting the world’s top 10.
“It’s a really difficult situation to handle for everybody,” Berrettini told reporters ahead of this week’s Queen’s tournament. “First of all for the people suffering [in Ukraine].
“In my specific case it’s really complicated because I played well last year on grass and it doesn’t matter how well I play this year, my ranking is going to drop. I think that is not fair.
“[If] the ranking is working normally, the more you play, the better you play, the better your ranking is going to be.
“I think this was taken away, that’s what I don’t agree with.”
Continuing to express his frustration, the world No.10 has blasted his own governing body for a lack of communication related to the decision. The ATP officially confirmed the removal of points from Wimbledon on May 20th.
“Nobody contacted us, nobody asked us our opinion about it, and I think it shouldn’t work like that.” Barrettini commented.
“Maybe we should do something in order to avoid these kind of situations, because I think this is the biggest decision the ATP has taken in the last 20 years at least.”
Despite the controversy, Berrettini said he doesn’t expect there to be a mass number of players refusing to play at the grass-court major which will begin on June 27th. Labeling the event as ‘one of the most important tournaments’ in tennis.
“I think everyone will play with their best effort and it’s going to be a great Wimbledon.” He concluded.
Berrettini returned to action last week at the Boss Open in Germany for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right hand. He went on to win the tournament after defeating Andy Murray in three sets in the final on Sunday.
The next test for Berrettini will be Queen’s this week where he will play Dan Evans in his opening match on Tuesday.
