Wimbledon has been stripped of its world ranking points in response to its ban on Russian and Belarusian players.

World tennis authorities said Wimbledon’s move undermined the principle of players qualifying on merit and without discrimination.

The ATP, in charge of the men’s game, said it had acted with “great regret and reluctance”, but that “discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries”.

Women’s tennis governing body the WTA also said it was stripping the event of its points.

In a statement, it said players “should not be penalized or prevented from competing solely because of their nationalities or the decisions made by the governments of their countries”.

Wimbledon announced the ban in April due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The LTA, which runs the game in Britain, also barred Russian and Belarusian players from all its competitions.

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Players affected include US Open men’s champion Daniil Medvedev and highly-ranked women’s player Aryna Sabalenka.

Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are among those who have criticised the ban.

The ATP said its support for Ukraine remained “unequivocal” and that it hoped talks could be held with Wimbledon to achieve “an acceptable outcome for all concerned”.

The All England Club, which organises the event, said last month that it recognised its decision would be “hard” on some players and that it was “with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime”.

To date, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been permitted to continue playing in ATP, WTA and ITF competitions as long as they do so under a neutral flag and with no anthem played.

The WTA, which runs the women’s game, has also previously said it was “very disappointed” by Wimbledon’s decision.

The event begins on 27 June and concludes on 10 July.

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