The usual trophies and prize money will be on the line for Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and other top tennis players at Wimbledon, but there’s a significant change there this year: no one will earn ranking points. , a valuable currency in tennis, when play begins on June 27.

The women’s and men’s professional tours announced on Friday that they will not be awarding ranking points to players at the Wimbledon grass-court Grand Slam tournament due to the All England Club’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus. because of the war against Ukraine.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said they were reacting to what they called “discrimination” against female tennis players.

Here’s a look at how this unprecedented decision came about and what it means for Wimbledon and the best tennis players in the world:

Why did Wimbledon ban Russians and Belarusians?

The All England Club, which organizes the oldest Grand Slam tournament – ​​Wimbledon was first held in 1877 – announced in April that it would not allow players from Russia or Belarus to participate in the event. in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

Chief executive Sally Bolton defended the club’s decision as a result of a UK government directive, and she cited a “responsibility to play our part in limiting the possibility of Wimbledon being used to justify harm done to others by the Russian regime. “.

Have other sports banned Russian athletes?

Yes, including in football, where the Russian men’s team was expelled from qualifying matches for this year’s World Cup. Figure skating and athletics are among other sports to have taken action against Russian and Belarusian athletes.

In tennis, players from these countries have been allowed to compete – including at Roland-Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins in Paris on Sunday – but as “neutral” athletes who are not not identified by their nationality.

Who can’t play at Wimbledon?

The hottest Russian tennis player at the moment is Daniil Medvedev, who won the US Open last September and briefly reached number one in the men’s rankings this year. Another top male player is Andrey Rublev, who is ranked number seven in the ATP.

WTA number seven Aryna Sabalenka, who was a Wimbledon semi-finalist a year ago, and former number one Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, hail from Belarus.

Why cancel ranking points?

The WTA and ATP condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but said it was not fair for the All England Club to stop certain players from playing due to the actions of their countries’ governments.

“Our rules and agreements exist to protect the rights of players as a whole,” the ATP said. “Unilateral decisions of this nature, if left unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the tour.”

The International Tennis Federation has also withdrawn its ranking points from the junior and wheelchair events at Wimbledon.

How do ranking points work? Why do they matter?

The official WTA and ATP rankings date from the early 1970s and are currently based on each player’s best results over the previous 52 weeks; the women have their best 16 tournaments, the men their best 19.

Swiatek is the 28th woman to serve at the top of the WTA; Djokovic is one of 27 men to lead the ATP and has spent more weeks there than anyone.

Wimbledon and the other three Grand Slams award 2,000 points each to the women’s and men’s singles champions, more than any other event. Along with other metrics such as trophies or prize money, rankings are a way for fans, sponsors and others – including the players themselves – to understand where athletes fit in the hierarchy of the sport. .

Technically, any tennis event that does not award ranking points is considered an exhibition.

Has this ever happened?

Representatives from the ATP, WTA and ITF said they were not aware of any previous instances of ranking points being taken away from a tournament.

Will players skip Wimbledon because there are no ranking points?

It’s too early to know, but even without ranking points, Wimbledon still offers a lot of prestige and millions of dollars in prize money.

“If you win it, I think you’d still be pretty happy,” said Jessica Pegula, an American seeded 11th at Roland Garros.

“But I think it just depends on each person – how they feel, their motivation.”

What will happen at the US Open?

It is not yet known whether players from Russia or Belarus will be able to participate in the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins in New York on August 29.

“We continue to monitor events,” American Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier wrote in an email, “and are in active dialogue with Ukrainian and Russian/Belarusian players, tours, other Grand Slam tournaments and other interested parties”.