MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) will award ranking points to Wimbledon again it its organizers lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, President of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Trapishchev said on Monday.

"Once athletes are admitted again, the ranking pints will be back. It is a matter of voting," he said.

The ATP and WTA said on May 20 they had stripped Wimbledon of ranking points due to its decision to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing at the 2022 Championships, which violated the fundamental principle that players of any nationality can enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination.

On April 20, the Wimbledon organizers, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), announced a decision to bar players from Russia and Belarus citing as a reason Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Other tennis competitions in the UK also are covered by the ban. The decision came under criticism from the ATP and the WTA.

The Wimbledon tournament, one of the four prestigious Grand Slam tournaments, has been held in London since 1877. This year, it will run from June 27 through July 10. The reigning gentlemen's singles champion is Novak Djokovic of Serbian, and Ash Barty of Australia is the reigning Wimbledon ladies' singles champion. However, she announced the completion of her sports career on March 23.