When Britain's Sports Minister initially suggested that Russian and Belarusian stars would be prevented from showing allegiance to their countries at Wimbledon 2022, few would have expected the ramifications to affect Novak Djokovic.
Speaking in March, Nigel Huddleston said that players from the nations could be barred if they did not give signed assurances distancing themselves from Russian president Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson confirmed that talks had begun with Wimbledon organisers the All England Club over the situation, following in the footsteps of many sporting authorities who had already taken action against Russian and Belarusian competitors.
On April 20, the club announced that entries from those countries would be declined "with deep regret". Here's how that decision will impact every player at Wimbledon 2022.
Why are there no ranking points at Wimbledon 2022?
Tennis governing bodies the ATP and WTA were clearly unimpressed by the All England Club's announcement, which said that the tournament had a "responsibility" to help "limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible".
It added: "In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships."
Statement regarding Russian and Belarusian individuals at The Championships 2022.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 20, 2022
Ian Hewitt, the chairman of the club, acknowledged that the ruling was "hard" on the players affected and said it was "with sadness [that] they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime".
The move proved predictably controversial, earning support and condemnation as part of a mixed reaction after the French Open had decided not to bar players from the countries.
The ATP and WTA responded in June by announcing that ranking points will not be awarded for Wimbledon 2022, causing some players, such as former world number one Naomi Osaka, to admit that the decision had caused them to reconsider participating.
MORE: Is Andy Murray playing at Wimbledon 2022? Schedule, next match for British star
What have tennis players said about Wimbledon's ranking points?
Osaka, who withdrew through injury, said organisers' intentions were good but their "execution had been kind of all over the place".
"I don't want to say it's pointless — no pun intended — but I'm the type of player who gets motivated by seeing my ranking go up," she added.
Six-time winner Novak Djokovic said he disagreed with the decision to ban the players, calling the involvement of politics in sport "crazy".
The most successful woman in Wimbledon history, Martina Navratilova, admitted that she "wouldn't have cared less" if there had been no points when she won her nine Wimbledon singles titles.
MORE: Why did Naomi Osaka withdraw from Wimbledon? Tennis star still recovering from Achilles injury
"I always played for the trophies, not the points and not the money," the legend told Piers Morgan. "For me, it was Wimbledon and nothing else.
"I don't understand that the players wouldn't play because there are no points. I just wanted to hold the trophy. When I won Wimbledon, I didn't know I'd become world number one... that was just the cherry on the cake."
Some observers have suggested that Wimbledon is effectively an exhibition tournament as a result of the removal of points to play for, although Andy Murray, who will not be seeded, argued on Twitter that the prestige and edge of the competition will not be eroded.
"I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of The Masters gets," said the two-time Wimbledon champion. "Me and my friends love football and none of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the FIFA World Cup.
"But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters. I'd hazard a guess that most people watching on Centre Court at Wimbledon wouldn't know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a third-round match.
What’s making them nervous in my opinion is the possibility of winning a historic/prestigious event in the sport they love and have trained most of their life for not the thought of ranking points. I think the player field at Wimbledon will reflect this🙂 anyway congrats to all
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 25, 2022
"But I guarantee they will remember who wins. Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition.
"I could be wrong but I don't think any tennis player serving for a Slam title, any footballer taking a penalty in a World Cup shootout, or any golfer teeing off on the 18th hole of a major was thinking about ranking points.
"What's making them nervous, in my opinion, is the possibility of winning a historic and prestigious event in the sport they love and have trained most of their life for, not the thought of ranking points. I think the player field at Wimbledon will reflect this."
Who will lose the most ranking points after Wimbledon?
Reigning champion Djokovic is perhaps the player who will suffer most in terms of ranking points as a result, because the six-time winner will not be able to defend the 2,000 points he won at the tournament last year.
World number one Daniil Medvedev, the Russian who was around 1,400 points above third-ranked Djokovic the week before Wimbledon 2022, stands to lose a mere 180 points because he was knocked out in the fourth round in 2021.
Karolina Pliskova is the woman who will lose the most ranking points because she cannot defend the points she won by reaching the 2021 final, in which she lost to the now-retired Ash Barty.
World number eight Andrey Rublev and number 22 Karen Khachanov are among the Russians who are all not allowed to play, while Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka are two of the Belarusians who will endure enforced absences.
World number two Alexander Zverev will not be involved after suffering an agonising ankle injury during his French Open semifinal against champion Rafael Nadal in June.