What is Novak Djokovic SHOCKING Statement After Wimbledon Cancels Ranking Points?

 Regarding this, people have shared their opinions and views, and even Novak Djokovic has given a shocking statement.

  "I cannot support the Wimbledon decision, it's not the athletes' fault" -This was the statement made by Novak Djokovic in opposition to the move ban imposed on Russian and Belarusian players.

 Novak Djokovic thinks it is wrong on Wimbledon's part to stop Russian and Belarusian players from taking part in the Major in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

 Making it clear that he stands against the idea of violence, Djokovic highlighted how well-versed he was with the damage caused by war, having grown up under similar circumstances in Serbia.

  Speaking to the media after his win over Laslo Djere at the Serbia Open, Djokovic asserted that politics must not influence sporting decisions.

 Djokovic said, "I will always be the first one to condemn the war. As a child of war, I know what kind of emotional trauma a war leaves,".

 He further added, "Us in Serbia, we know what was happening here in 1999, ordinary people always suffer, we've had a lot of wars in the Balkans. That being said, I cannot support the Wimbledon decision. It's not the athletes' fault. When politics interfere with sports, it usually doesn't turn out well."

 As we know, Wimbledon declared on Wednesday that they will be denying entry to Russian and Belarusian players as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine.

 Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and Belarus backed it up in its act of war.

 Wimbledon elected to follow suit after significant areas of the world sanctioned the two countries.

  Even the AELTC’s representative stated, "In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,". 

 "It is, therefore, our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022." 

 It added, "On behalf of the All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships, we wish to express our ongoing support for all those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine during these shocking and distressing times,".

  Rafael Nadal has also shared his thoughts on the decision that rocked the tennis world. "I think it’s very unfair on my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues. It’s not their fault what’s happening at this moment with the war,” the 21-time grand slam champion told reporters in Madrid.

 “The 2,000 points, whenever we go to the Grand Slams, they are really important and we have to go to those tournaments. So we will have to see the measures that we take.”

 He further added, “At the end of the day, what happens in our game, doesn’t have any importance when we can see so many people dying and suffering and seeing the bad situation they are having in Ukraine.”

 And Novak Djokovic agreed with his great rival Rafael Nadal on the suspension of Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Wimbledon.

 Certain areas of the sporting world have been punished in response to President Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

 The two of tennis’ greatest players have condemned the decision. “I have spoken to some of the Russian players in Belgrade, and, obviously it's not an easy situation to be in, stripped away the right to participate in one of the biggest tournaments if not the biggest tournament in the world,” Djokovic said ahead of his appearance at Madrid Open.

 “It's hard. I understand that there is frustration. The ATP is going to analyze the whole situation and understand what can be done. I have not spoken to people from ATP, so I'm not sure about it.”

 The world champion compared the situation to his own earlier this year in Australia, when he was expelled and therefore unable to participate in the Australian Open due to his unvaccinated state.

 “Going through something similar, let's say, it's not the same thing, but going through something similar earlier this year for myself, it's frustrating knowing that you're not able to play,” the Serbian added.

 “I still stand by my position that I don't support the decision. I think it's just not fair, it's not right, but it is what it is.”

 Following the All England Club's shocking news, the ATP and WTA are considering maintaining the rankings of the Russian and Belarussian tennis players barred from competing.

 Both tours are meeting in Madrid to discuss the next steps, with the potential of withdrawing ranking points from Wimbledon on the table as well.

  Djokovic commented, “They are entitled to make the decision, and now I guess it's on the Player Council, the tour management, to 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,”

 “We have had in the last couple of years, because of Corona, some reduction on points, and different models were implemented that were not implemented before because of Corona”.

  He adds,  “To allow players not to play if they don't want to play but still have their points. So I heard that some of those models are still considered to be used in this kind of instance, but I'm not sure what is right, what is wrong, to be honest. I guess we'll have to wait and see the outcome.”

 The Spanish superstar is a member of the ATP Players' Council, which was founded to collaborate with players and protect their interests.

 When asked about freezing ranking points for players who are unable to participate, Nadal indicated that the council is working on a solution with all parties concerned.

 He quoted, "There are some private conversations on the council about this kind of stuff, something that I honestly think is no good to go public. The only thing we can do is be in touch with Wimbledon and the rest of the ATP management to do the things that work better to protect every single player in the ATP."

  He added, "In the end, that's our job: to protect the players and to work for the benefit of every single player that we are representing. That's all."

 Wimbledon and other LTA events might be stripped of official ranking points, thereby rendering them all exhibition tournaments.

 This could result in a deluge of players opting out of smaller tournaments in favor of competing in larger grass-court tournaments in Germany and the rest of Europe.

 As a result, there will be less interest in the events in England, both live and on television, with highly ranked players such as Matteo Berrettini, Casper Rudd, and Carlos Alcaraz, who are all currently signed up to play Queen's, perhaps withdrawing.

 The ATP's player reps are especially inclined to take a hard position on Wimbledon, which would be unaffected by any withdrawals due to the prize money and prestige remaining on offer.

 It would still be a setback for the event at SW19, as it would eliminate a high-profile exhibition for at least the current year.

 The ATP has yet to make a decision, which might come as early as this week, and the women's WTA will almost certainly follow suit.

 As the Grand Slam tournaments are autonomous, possible sanctions by the ATP and the WTA could include a refusal to award ranking points at the 27 June - 10 July Grand Slam tournament. That could reduce Wimbledon to the status of a high-profile exhibition event.

 The ATP does not seem inclined to take legal action, while according to French daily L'Equipe, which obtained an email sent by the WTA to its players, the body is studying "the actions that you (here, they are mentioning players) could take according to the Grand Slam regulations".

 "I do think that you'll see some strong reactions that will come from us but what those are and how far they'll go is still to be determined," Simon told The Tennis Podcast at the weekend.

 "We don't have the same jurisdiction over the Grand Slams as we do over our own sanctioned events."

 

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