A Wimbledon champion says the tournament “will never feel like an exhibition”, after a decision to remove ranking points

The ATP and WTA recently stripped Wimbledon of ranking points in response to the All England Lawn and Tennis Club’s ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes.

There has been widespread outcry amongst players following the move, with many branding the competition an “exhibition”.

Prominent players including Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic have been critical of the decision.

But Andy Murray has taken to Twitter to defend the legitimacy of the tournament.

The 35-year-old says most people watching on centre court “wouldn’t know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a 3rd round match”.

“But I guarantee they will remember who wins. Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition. The end.”

Andy Murray

Naomi Osaka, speaking on Monday after her loss in the opening round of the French Open, was critical of the decision.

“I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition,” she says.

“Whenever I think something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100 per cent.”

“I didn’t even make my decision yet, but I’m leaning more towards not playing” she adds.

World Number one Novak Djokovic, who called the ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes “crazy”, says he’s “glad” there are consequences for the tournament.

But he remains concerned he will be unable to defend the points he received for winning the championship in 2021.

“On a personal, individual level, I have been very negatively affected by that,” he says.

“It’s hard, really… it’s kind of, I would say, lose-lose situation for everyone.”

Bryan Hoadley contributed to this report