From Djokovic to top 100 contenders: players most affected by ATP/WTA’s removal of ranking points at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic is set to lose his No 1 ranking while others, especially mid-ranked players, will drop out of the top 100
Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon 2021 final © AI / Reuters / Panoramic
The decisions by the ATP and WTA to remove ranking points from this year’s Wimbledon Championships – because of their ban of Russian and Belarusian players due to the invasion of Ukraine – have been provoked a variety of responses from the players.
While Naomi Osaka says she’s leaning towards not playing, because it would feel like an exhibition, others, like Rafael Nadal, have said they can see both sides of the argument.
Whatever the rights or wrongs, some players are going to be more affected than others. Osaka, for example, will not be affected at all since she didn’t play at Wimbledon last year and therefore has no points to lose. Others, like Novak Djokovic, have stacks of points to lose, and he’ll probably lose the world No 1 ranking too.
Without getting a chance to play and defend my 4,000 points I’m going to drop in this year, Australia and Wimbledon, I have been very negatively affected
Novak Djokovic
Some players currently ranked between 40 and 70, who might get direct entry into Masters 1000 events, could see their rankings drop to the point where they would have to qualify for those events.
Some of the following calculations could be affected by what happens at the grass-court warm-up events but here’s a look at the players who will be affected the most and what it might mean for their rankings.
Novak Djokovic: Loses 2,000 points, set to lose No 1 spot
Djokovic won his sixth Wimbledon title last summer, collecting 2,000 points in the process. Going into Roland-Garros, where he is also defending 2,000 points as champion, the Serb has 8,660 points, to the 7,960 of Daniil Medvedev. The Russian has only 180 points to defend at Wimbledon and 360 in Paris. Unless something miraculous happens, or there is a change of heart/a decision to freeze rankings, Djokovic will not be No 1 after Wimbledon.
“On a personal level, of course, without getting a chance to play and defend, you know, my 4,000 points I’m going to drop in this year, Australia and Wimbledon, so of course on a personal, individual level, I have been very negatively affected by that,” he said. “But I have been speaking with management and the president of ATP and some of the council members actually in the last few days.
“I think collectively I’m glad that players got together with ATP, the governing body of the men’s tennis, and showed to the Grand Slam that, you know, when there is a mistake happening, and there was from the Wimbledon side, then we have to show that there is going to be some consequences.
“It’s hard, really. It’s hard to say what is right, what is wrong. This is one of these kind of decisions and situations where is always going to be someone that will suffer more. It’s kind of, I would say, lose-lose situation for everyone.”
Matteo Berrettini: Loses 1,200 points, will drop out of the top 10
The Italian’s run to the final lit up Wimbledon last year and not being able to earn points this time round is likely to see him drop from his current position of No 10 to around No 16. The Italian is due to return from injury on the grass next month and though he won’t drop too far, relatively, he’ll be some way off the top 10.
Denis Shapovalov: Loses 720 points, likely to exit the top 20
The Canadian has been dipping in and out of the top 10 of late but unless he has a great Roland-Garros, he could well find himself outside the top 20 come the end of Wimbledon.
Marton Fucsovics: Loses 360 points, set to drop out of the top 100
Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics was a surprise quarter-finalist in 2021 and currently sits at No 57, a ranking that gives him direct entry into the biggest events, which gives him a better chance to maintain or improve his ranking. However, losing 360 of his 955 points means he is almost certain to drop out of the top 100, which will directly impact his earning potential and mean he’ll have to qualify at Masters 1000s and play in lower-level events. Not surprisingly, he is not happy.
Denis Kudla: Loses 115 points, will drop out of top 100
American Denis Kudla worked incredibly hard to break into the world’s top 100 and about one fifth of his ranking points come from his run through qualifying all the way to the third round at Wimbledon. When those points drop off, he’s set to fall from his current mark of 82 to outside the top 100.
Karolina Pliskova: Loses 1200 points, set to drop out of top 10
Pliskova produced her best ever run at Wimbledon last summer when she reached the final, losing only to an inspired Ash Barty. The Czech sits at No 8 as she begins at Roland-Garros but she’s likely to drop down to around No 15 unless she picks up significant points in warm-up events.
Angelique Kerber: Loses 720 points, will drop out of top 20
The German remains a force at Grand Slam level, as she showed last year when she made the semi-finals. The three-time Grand Slam winner will fall from her current mark of No 17 to well outside the top 20.
Ajla Tomljanovic: Loses 360 points, will fall to around No 80
The Aussie enjoyed a fine run to the last eight at Wimbledon last year, beating Emma Raducanu in the process but he current ranking of 42 will fall to around the No 80 mark, putting her in a similar position to Fucsovics on the men’s side.
Roger Federer: Loses 600 points, will not have an official ranking
Now, Roger Federer was not going to be fit in time to play at Wimbledon anyway but it’s worth noting that by the time his 600 points drop off the computer after this year’s Championships (half of his 1200 fro reaching the final in 2019 which remained because of the pandemic), he will be left with zero ranking points.
He’ll have a protected ranking when he returns but that will only help him get into tournaments; it won’t help with seeding and he’ll have to start earning points from scratch.
Serena Williams, will have zero points after Wimbledon
The 23-time Grand Slam winner has not played since last year’s Wimbledon, when she limped off with injury in her first-round match. If no agreement is made to freeze ranking points or halve them, perhaps, then the American will find herself in the same position as Federer.
