Rafael Nadal has refused to give a “clear answer” over the ATP Player Council’s meetings over possible sanctions for Wimbledon. The men’s tour is set to penalise the Grand Slam for banning Russian and Belarusian players, with fears they could strip Wimbledon of its ranking points entirely and turn it into a glorified exhibition. But the world No 4 said some things weren’t “good to go public” as conversations continue.
Wimbledon is awaiting a decision from the ATP on whether they will remove all ranking points on offer from the grass-court Grand Slam this year in response to the tournament’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players. The men’s tour has been holding meetings in Madrid and Rome, with Nadal involved as a member of the ATP Player Council.
But the 21-time Major champion is keeping tight-lipped on the ongoing discussions and said he was “not able to talk about” the conversations being had among the council. “I don’t have a clear opinion on that so I prefer to don’t give you a clear answer, that’s it,” he said when asked about the ATP’s plans to sanction Wimbledon on Wednesday.
“There are some private conversations on the council about this kind of stuff, something that I honestly think is not good to go public.” The Spaniard also revealed that the Player Council had been communicating with Wimbledon and has reiterated their job to work in the interest of the players.
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The men’s tour has also been keen to mirror the WTA in their decision, with both tours holding talks in Madrid last week. But it is not known whether the WTA is pushing for the removal of ranking points as hard as the ATP, meaning the women’s players could end up earning points at Wimbledon while the men don’t.
At the very least, the ATP will be freezing the points of the affected Russian and Belarusian players so they can’t drop off and have their ranking hindered by not being able to compete. It is expected the LTA’s British grass-court events – from which players from the two nations are also banned – will also have their ranking points removed and receive a fine from the ATP.
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