Both the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF), have opted to strip ranking points from the grass court Grand Slam.

It means several players face dropping in the world rankings as they will be unable to gain the significant ranking points a Grand Slam offers. 

They will also not be able to defend the points they earned last year, which are set to drop off.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, for instance, will lose the maximum 2,000 points he gained for winning Wimbledon in 2021.

This could potentially result in Russia's Daniil Medvedev, banned from playing at Wimbledon, rising to number one in the world.

Reports have claimed that Wimbledon could now sue over the matter, with some dubbing this year's tournament as an "exhibition" in the absence of ranking points.

Both the ATP and WTA have allowed players from Russia and Belarus to continue playing following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, albeit under a neutral flag.

Wimbledon is the only major tournament to have opted for a different path, and claimed it did so following UK Government guidance.

Officials argued that any success by Russians or Belarusians would aid the "propaganda machine" of both regimes and said it had to ensure the safety of players and their families.

Individual athletes from Russia and Belarus are also obliged to prove that they are "genuinely independent and neutral", with a written declaration, before competing at any event in Britain.

They also have to pledge not to speak out in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In response, the ATP claimed that "the ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our tour".

The WTA warned Wimbledon would have "a partial field not based on merit".

US Open champion and world number two Medvedev will be joined by Olympic mixed doubles champions Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev in missing the tournament, planned for between June 27 and July 10.

Belarusian world number four Aryna Sabalenka will be blocked from the women's event. 

A number of players criticised the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, including Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal.

But the lack of ranking points has also caused concern.

"Ninety-nine per cent of players want to have points and to play the tournament as it was before, so I want to know if the ATP wants to defend players or Russia," said France's Benoit Paire.