I don't agree with ATP's decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points, Djokovic, Hurkacz, Berrettini and I will lose a lot of points: Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov has expressed his disagreement over the ATP's decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon. e stated that Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, Hubert Hurkacz and himself stand to lose a lot of points at the tournament, given how successful they were last year.
The ATP and the WTA took the decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon after the tournament decided to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the event. The decision came in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early February.
Shapovalov said in his post-match press-conference at the French Open that he did not agree with the decisions made by Wimbledon and the ATP. He added that a professional tournament should be open to players regardless of where they are from.
"I mean, yeah, I don't agree with either," Shapovalov said. "I think first of all, if you have a pro competition, that everybody should be competing. I completely understand the politics and the situation they're in. But again, if you have a tennis tournament that's supposed to have the best athletes in the world, it shouldn't matter where you're from, this and that, you know? So everybody should be competing."
Shapovalov also spoke about the impact of the ATP's decision, stating that it mostly affects top players. He also mentioned the possibility of 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics dropping out of the top 100 of the rankings.
"I also don't agree with the ATP to take out all the points," Shapovalov added. "The most guys it's affecting are the guys in the top rankings. Obviously Novak, me, Hubi, Berrettini, who is not playing here, we're going to drop a lot. So it's difficult. Yeah, it's difficult. I think they could have gone with it a different way, maybe keep 50 percent like they have in the past or some kind of fairness. But even a guy like Fucsovics is going to drop out of the top 100, you know."
Shapovalov added that it would be difficult for players who perform well on grass to defend or gain points, especially considering how short the grasscourt season is.
"So it's difficult for the players when you don't have a chance to defend and especially on a surface like grass where it's already so short and the players that play well on that surface they don't have that many opportunities to make points, so you take a huge chunk of it out, it's super difficult for players," the Canadian said.
Denis Shapovalov had a lot to say about the Wimbledon situation.
"If you have a tennis tournament that's supposed to have the best athletes in the world, it shouldn't matter where you're from, this and that, you know? So everybody should be competing." https://t.co/yTSf4St69d
Novak Djokovic backs ATP's decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon
Last year's champion Novak Djokovic has backed the ATP's decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon this year. Speaking after his first-round win at the French Open, the Serb said that he was glad to see the players getting together with the ATP to work towards a common goal.
"I think collectively I'm glad that players got together with ATP, the governing body of the men's tennis, and showed to the Grand Slam that, you know, when there is a mistake happening, and there was from the Wimbledon side, then we have to show that there is going to be some consequences," Djokovic said.
Djokovic won his 18th consecutive first-round match at Roland Garros, winning in straight-sets against Yoshohito Nishioka. He will face Alex Molcan in the second round as he continues his quest for a third French Open title.
'There's going to be consequences': Djokovic supports stripping Wimbledon of ranking points abc.net.au/news/2022-05-2…