Wimbledon 2022: No Russians, no rankings, but Serena’s back

There are a lot of key updates as Wimbledon gets set to return on June including no No. 1-ranked man, Daniil Medvedev, who was barred from competing by the All England Club, along with every other player from Russia and Belarus, because of the war in Ukraine

At least at the outset, before a tennis ball is struck, this edition of Wimbledon is as much about who — and what — is missing as who’s here.

And that’s even taking this into account: It is no small matter that the grass-court Grand Slam tournament marks the return of Serena Williams to singles play after a year away.

The No. 1-ranked man, Daniil Medvedev, was barred from competing by the All England Club, along with every other player from Russia and Belarus, because of the war in Ukraine.

“It’s a mistake,” International Tennis Hall of Fame member Martina Navratilova said about the ban. “What are they supposed to do, leave the country? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion who will play in the first match in Centre Court on Monday, looked at the situation this way: “It’s really hard to say what is right, what is wrong.”

“As a child of a war — several wars, actually, during the ’90s, I know what it feels like being in (the Ukrainians’) position,” the 35-year-old from Serbia said. “But at the other hand, I can’t say I fully agree (with deciding) to ban Russian tennis players, Belarusian tennis players, from competing indefinitely. I just don’t see how they have contributed to anything that is really happening. I mean, I don’t feel it’s fair.”

The two professional tours reacted by pulling their ranking points from Wimbledon, an unprecedented move in a sport built around the rankings in so many ways. In turn, some athletes opted not to show up, including 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.