Murray says Wimbledon ‘will never be an exhibition’

Two-time former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said Wednesday the tournament “will never feel like an exhibition” despite it being stripped of ranking points over the ban on Russian and Belarusian players.

The decision by the ATP and WTA to remove the sport’s most prestigious tournament of ranking points has prompted some players to say they may skip Wimbledon, the year’s third Grand Slam.

“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,” tweeted Murray.

“But I guarantee they will remember who wins. Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition.”

Former world number one Naomi Osaka has revealed she is “leaning towards not playing” Wimbledon while defending champion Novak Djokovic said he will play despite losing 2,000 points.

But Djokovic described it as a “lose-lose situation”, and the controversy has showed no signs of abating, with several players at the ongoing French Open likening Wimbledon to a high-profile exhibition event this year.

“I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of the Masters gets,” said Murray, who opted to miss the French Open to prepare for the grass-court season.

“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.”