Denis Shapovalov celebrates a point against Denmark’s Holger Rune during the men’s first round individual match on the 3rd day of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 24, 2022 in Paris, France. Adam Pretty / Getty Images
Denis Shapovalov is opposed to a Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players, but also disagrees with the decision by tennis governing bodies to deprive the Grand Slam of the turf of the qualifying points, he said on Tuesday. number 15 in the Canadian world.
The men’s ATP and women’s WTA last week drew points from the standings at Wimbledon after their organizers decided to exclude players from Russia and Belarus in the wake of Ukraine’s invasion of Moscow.
Qualifying points determine a player’s ability to participate in tennis events and receive rankings, so removing them from Wimbledon effectively reduces the event to an exhibition tournament.
Shapovalov, whose mother is from Ukraine and father of Russia, reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year.
He will be one of the many players affected by his inability to defend the points he won last year at Wimbledon and will be relegated.
“I don’t agree with either of them,” the 23-year-old world number 10 told reporters after his exit from the first round of the French Open. “I think first of all, if you have a professional competition, everyone should compete.
“I fully understand the policy and the situation in which they find themselves. But again, if you have a tennis tournament that is supposed to have the best athletes in the world, it shouldn’t matter where you are from.
“I do not agree with the ATP to get all the points. The boys who are most affected are those in the first class. “
Four-time Japanese champion Naomi Osaka said on Monday that she was “not 100% sure” of playing at Wimbledon without qualifying points.
Shapovalov said most of the players were not consulted before the decision and wished the ATP had not withdrawn all points from the tournament.
“It’s hard. I think they could have gone the other way, maybe keep 50% like they did in the past or some kind of equity,” he said.
“It’s difficult for players when you don’t have a chance to defend and especially on a surface like the grass where (the season) is already so short and players who play well on that surface don’t have as many opportunities. scoring points, so you get a lot out of it, it’s very difficult for the players. “
Russia’s Andrey Rublev has said Wimbledon has broken a deal with ATP over major player participation and the world’s number seven has implored the men’s tour and the grassroots tournament organizers to unite to save the sport .
“When you have a deal, you can’t break it. And they did,” he told reporters. “When we have a toxic relationship like this, only bad things can happen.
“Although, I don’t know, Wimbledon, they go together with other Slams and try to create another tour, it will only destroy tennis.” (Report by Sudipto Ganguly; Edited by Hugh Lawson and Toby Davis)