American ace issues fierce support for Wimbledon punishment
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens has firmly backed the decision to strip Wimbledon of its rankings points following its ban on Russian and Belarusian players. Stephens called the move by the WTA “correct” and said “discrimination will never be tolerated” by the women’s tour.
The WTA and men’s counterpart the ATP both announced at the end of last week that they would remove all rankings points from this year’s Wimbledon, effectively turning the grass court showpiece into an exhibition tournament.
Speaking after her first-round win over Jule Niemeier at the French Open on Sunday – where Russians and Belarusians are free to compete as neutrals – American star Stephens issued vocal support for WTA bosses.
“I think the decision that was taken was the correct one,” said Stephens, who is a member of the WTA Player Council.