Andy Murray defends Wimbledon in ranking points row: ‘It will never feel like an exhibition’

Andy Murray has launched a staunch defence of Wimbledon in its row with the ATP and WTA over ranking points, insisting fans won’t “know or care” how many are on offer in matches and that the Championships “will never feel like an exhibition”.

Wimbledon was last week stripped of the right to award world ranking points by both the men’s and women’s tours in response to its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players over the invasion of Ukraine.

While the initial ban was criticised by several leading figures in the game, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe, the tours’ retaliation has been met with widespread opposition from current players, who also face losing the ranking points earned at last year’s Wimbledon, since they are technically unable to defend them.

Naomi Osaka this week said she is considering skipping the tournament altogether because of the lack of points on offer, suggesting it would be “more like an exhibition”.

Writing on Twitter, however, two-time Wimbledon singles champion Murray said: “I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of The Masters gets.

“Me and my friends love football and none of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the Fifa World Cup.

“But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters. 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.”