The impressive number that Wimbledon put in to seduce tennis players for not distributing points for the ATP rankings

As the ATP and WTA announced that Wimbledon would not distribute points, in response to the tournament organizers’ veto on Russians and Belarusians, there has been a lot of uproar and there has also been speculation about the possibility of massive casualties and even a boycott.

However, none of this happened. The main absences, in addition to players excluded from participation, are due to injuries, as in the case of Alexander Zverev, who sustained three injuries to the lateral ligaments of his right ankle in the semi-final of Roland Garros against Rafael Nadal.

The cases of those tennis players who have stopped playing because they could not score points are scarce. Naomi Osaka and Eugenie Bouchard, despite carrying physical discomfort, are examples of this. “It will be like an exhibition, you cannot give 100% without the motivation to rise in the rankings”, the Japanese said. “I have a limited number of protected rankings and using one in a tournament that doesn’t add points makes no sense “, the Canadian said.

Add to that the loss of one of its longest-standing sponsors, the Robinsons beverage brand, which had sponsored the British event since 1935. “After more than 80 years we can confirm that the union between Wimbledon and Robinsons is over. We are very proud of this historic partnership, which has lasted for so many years, and we thank them for the support they have given to tennis in the UK, “they said in an official statement.

Faced with this extreme situation, with the risk that some of the most important players would retire and that the fracture was even greater, the organizers responded in time. They put £ 40 million on the table to seduce those who were in doubt about their involvement.

The champion, both in the male and female branches, will bring home 2 million, but the real incentive is in the prize for participation. The simple fact of playing the first round of the main draw will award £ 50,0004.2% more than in 2021 and 11.1% compared to the 2019 edition.

Not only will you compete for glory, which is no small feat, but also for a lot of money. The difference between the Grand Slam and the rest of the leagues is so great that many believe that participating in the four majors would allow them to survive the rest of the year.

In addition to Roland Garros and the Australian Open, the next ranked tournament this season was the Masters 1,000 in Madrid, which handed out £ 24,000 to entrants. There is no point of comparison, considering that in All England those who reach the third round of doubles will receive a similar figure.

Wimbledon was able to take such a step, in part because He was the only one of the big four who had insurance before the covid arrived. Thanks to this they received 100 million pounds and distributed 10 million to help tennis players who would have participated in 2020, but who were unable to do so due to the suspension due to the pandemic.

In 2021 they also benefited from being able to host a tournament with few restrictions thanks to the loosened measures of the British government. It started with limited capacity, but ended with 100% stadiums. Furthermore, the fact that alcohol consumption is allowed in the stands has meant another financial boost for the cashiers a competition that generates more than 350 million pounds a year.