What did Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic say about Wimbledon points potentially being stripped from players?
Tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic gave their views in light of recent developments in the Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, as well as the rumours that the Major could be stripped of points for its stance.
The All England Club recently made a controversial move by announcing a ban on players from Russia and Belarus. The decision came in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began in February.
#BBCTennisRafael Nadal has criticised the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
🗣 "I think it's very unfair [on] my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues"
Read more here 👇 #BBCTennis
Nadal and Djokovic, two of the most influential names in the tennis world, have already cleared their stance on the decision, terming it unfair on the players concerned. The ATP and WTA are now considering their options to salvage the situation. It includes taking away ranking points completely for all players, or freezing ranking points for those players who cannot participate.
Nadal expressed his views on the same in a press conference and said:
"There are some private conversations on the council about this kind of stuff, something that I honestly think is no good to go public. Only thing we can do is be in touch with Wimbledon and the rest of the ATP management to do the things that works better to protect every single player in the ATP."
He added:
"At the end, that's our job: to protect the players and to work in the benefit of every single player that we are representing. That's all."
The Spanish legend is a member of the ATP Players' Council, formed to work with the players and help protect their interests. Nadal revealed that the council is working on a solution with all parties involved, when asked about talk of freezing the ranking points for players who cannot participate.
Wimbledon is expected to have all ranking points removed by the ATP in the next 48 hours if it does not reverse its ban on Russian players.
[@Telegraph] https://t.co/EtxJtZHpNF
Djokovic was also asked about the various possibilities around ranking points and sanctions for Wimbledon. He called upon the ATP and the player council to make the right decision.
"Now I guess it's on player council, the tour management, to really decide along with the players what is the best solution in this situation, whether they keep the points, protect the points, take away 50% of the points or whatever," Djokovic said in a recent presser.
He also spoke out against the original decision from the All England Club to ban Russian and Belarusian players. The World No. 1 went on to add that 'freezing ranking points' is certainly an option, given that something similar was done during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. He said:
"We had in the last couple of years, because of CORONA, some reduction on points, and different, I guess, models were implemented that were not implemented before because of CORONA in order to allow players not to play if they don't want to play but still have their points."
Djokovic added:
"So I heard that some of those models are still considered to be, you know, used in this kind of instance, but, you know, I'm not sure what is right, what is wrong, to be honest. I guess we'll have to wait and see the outcome."
Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic: Who is the favorite for the French Open title?
Rafael Nadal has been the favorite to win the French Open every year since his maiden triumph in 2005. However, some believe Novak Djokovic stands a stronger chance of winning the title this month, given how both players have fared this claycourt season.
The 13-time French Open champion's claycourt season has been hampered by injuries. After missing tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to a rib injury, Nadal has played just five matches heading into the Grand Slam in Paris. His latest match against Denis Shapovalov in Rome was marred by a foot injury.
Meanwhile, Djokovic started the clay season slowly with an early loss in Monte Carlo. However, he has picked up some good form since, reaching the final in Belgrade and the semi-finals in Madrid. He has also looked in good touch in the ongoing Italian Open. Djokovic also beat Nadal in the semi-finals of the Roland Garros last year.
Meanwhile, another contender this year could be Carlos Alcaraz, who is coming off fresh from his Madrid Open triumph.