2022 Wimbledon:  Nadal says it is his job to defend banned Russian and Belarusian players

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal believes it is his responsibility to defend the Russian and Belarusian players banned from Wimbledon.

The All England Club sent shockwaves through the tennis world when their decision was made public last month.

Reports suggest Wimbledon and other UK grass court events will be stripped of official ranking points this summer due to their stance on Russian and Belarusian competitors.

The decision from the All England Club came in response to Russia ’s recent invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

The Board of the ATP met on Wednesday to discuss the next steps in the wake of some players being unable to participate in the sport’s most prestigious tournament.

This comes after the player council, which includes Nadal and Roger Federer, voted in favour of stripping Wimbledon of ranking points, which needs to be approved by a seven-man ATP Board.

The idea of halving the number of points on offer is also on the table, another reason which may deter some players from competing in the UK this summer. Nadal claimed it is “his job” to defend those who have been barred from SW19.

He was questioned on Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players ahead of the summer’s Championship. "I don't have a clear opinion on the matter and I don't want to declare anything,” the 21-time grand slam champion said.

“[The] only thing we can do is be in touch with Wimbledon and the rest of the ATP management to do the things that work better to protect every single player in the ATP. At the end, that’s our job: to protect the players and to work [to] the benefit of every single player that we are representing.” There are some sympathies for Wimbledon bosses, who were said to have been pressured into taking action by the UK Government, and its zero tolerance approach to Russian involvement.