The ATP Tour stunned tennis fans and players when they decided to withhold ranking points at Wimbledon in response to the All-England Club's ban on Russian and Belarusian players in light of the Ukraine war. Some players, such as Rafael Nadal, have declined to offer their opinion on the ATP's decision. Others, like Novak Djokovic, have backed the Tour.
On the WTA side, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka seemed to be on the fence about participating at Wimbledon without ranking points, saying that even though she knows it's not true, it would feel like an ‘exhibition.' While it wasn't a direct response, former Wimbledon champ Andy Murray offered a strong take on the event's ‘exhibition' feel, per Yahoo Sports.
I’d hazard a guess that most people watching on centre court @Wimbledon in a few weeks time wouldn’t know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a 3rd round match
“But I guarantee they will remember who wins. @Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition. The end.”
Murray took to Twitter, saying that “most people wouldn't know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a 3rd round match.” The former Wimbledon champ finished by saying he knew they would remember who won.
While that's certainly true, there are some players out there, like Osaka, who are determined to rise up the ranks- and may not feel as much motivation following the ATP's decision.
Muray is right. Wimbledon won't feel like an exhibition to most people. However, it's inevitable that some players are just not going to approach the tournament the same way sans ATP ranking points.