World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini doesn’t think Wimbledon will have problems attracting top players as he noted that it is a Grand Slam and that this year’s tournament will have a record prize money. In April, Wimbledon imposed player bans on Russian and Belarusian players.
The ATP and WTA warned Wimbledon to expect a sanction that they kept their promise. In May, the ATP and WTA announced the removal of ranking points from 2022 Wimbledon. In overall, players were not too happy about the situation between the governing bodies of tennis and Wimbledon, with some suggesting there was no point in playing a “pointless” Wimbledon.
“It’s a Slam,” Berrettini noted. “If I read it right it’s going to be record prize money [there] this year as well. So, everybody’s willing to play obviously, also because it’s Wimbledon.”
Berrettini: Wimbledon is one of the most important tournaments in our game
Last year, Berrettini reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, before losing to Novak Djokovic. Berrettini is one of the players most affected by the recent developments as he will experience a big rankings drop after the tournament.
“It’s one of the most important tournaments that we have,” Berrettini added. “I don’t see anybody saying ‘Ok, I’m not going because there are no points’. I think it’s affecting more the ones who have to defend [points] and the ones who can possibly gain a lot of points.
For example, for me, reaching the semi-finals in the US Open changed my career, because then I qualified for the ATP Finals when it was [still] in London. [That] situation changed everything, so I think it’s also not really fair for those players.
But I don’t think there are going to be any changes in the tournament. I think everyone will play with their best effort and it’s going to be a great Wimbledon”.
