London, May 21- Wimbledon, widely regarded as world’s most prestigious tennis tourney, was stripped of ranking points on Friday by the sport’s main tours in a move which threatens to reduce the Grand Slam to the status of a high-profile exhibition event. The decision by ATP & WTA was in response to Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine. “It is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022,” said an ATP statement.

“Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour.”