Athletes are speaking out after the WTA and ATP announced Wimbledon would be stripped of its ranking points. The decision came after the Grand Slam banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing due to Russias’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I think the decision that was taken was the correct one,” Sloane Stephens, a member of the WTA’s Player Council, said of the points decision. “I think that there are a lot of things that happened behind the scenes that the press are not aware of, and I think there has been a lot of mishandling of how everything was handled.”

Stephens specifically took issue with the tournament’s decision to bar players from competition, which according to the American left the WTA with just one option: to strip the ranking points.

“I think when you are backed into a corner and that’s all you can do, I think that’s why the decision was made, and I support it,” Stephens said. “I can tell you that we worked really hard to try to make sure that everyone had a fair opportunity to play, and at the end of the day that’s not what happened.

“I think when you look at the principles and what our tour stands for, discrimination will never be tolerated. That’s exactly what’s happening. As long as that’s in play, there are no points.”

Naomi Osaka has also offered her opinion on the move, telling reporters she may not compete in the major if there are no points to be won.

“I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition,” she said. “I know this isn’t true, right? But my brain just feels that way. Whenever I think something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100 percent.”

Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, is also unsure if she will compete in the grass court Grand Slam if there is no opportunity to accrue ranking points.

“I mean, if there are no points, I’m not really sure what I’m gonna do,” she said. “Because I feel like it’s a little bit unfair to play the tournament when there are no points and you kind of, you can win the tournament and then you don’t move one spot up in the ranking. So it’s a little bit strange.”

Karolina Pliskova, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist, still plans to play in the tournament but is critical of the WTA’s decision.

“So I think they didn’t really help anybody. Like, I mean, they punished Wimbledon maybe. But I think most of the players, if you love the game you’re still going to go and play. So I think they mainly punished the players, which I didn’t quite get,” the Czech star said.

Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko supports Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian competitors, saying she wants to show as much support for her country as possible.

“I think my personal opinion is that as we see a lot of sports, they banned Russia, a number of Russian players and in tennis it’s only one tournament. I honestly think that this is not a very big price for them to pay or to accept. I think it’s not too much, it’s not much, really, it’s just one tournament,” she said.

World No.1 Iga Swiatek said she is more focused on “the political side of things” with her country of Poland supporting Ukraine in the war.

“I don’t really mind about points. For me, you know, it’s Wimbledon, for sure. It’s one of the most important tournaments in the season,” said Swiatek. “But there is war going on. So I look at it more from that way than, you know, what’s gonna happen on rankings.”

Wimbledon is set to kick off on June 27 at the All England Club.

The first-ever World Sevens Football (W7F) tournament kicked off in Portugal on Wednesday, as eight European powerhouses compete for the 7v7 soccer venture's inaugural trophy — and a share of its $5 million prize pool.

After winning their first matches on Wednesday, French side Paris Saint-Germain, reigning Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich, and WSL clubs Manchester City and Manchester United all tacked on second group-stage wins early Thursday.

Those two-match leads guarantee each club a spot in Friday's knockout rounds — and a shot at the $2.5 million grand prize — regardless of the outcome of their third and final group play games on Thursday.

Notably, Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes and Man United keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce both feature in this week's tournament, adding extra time with their club teams before they report to USWNT camp next week.

For Yohannes's Netherlands team, the W7F road will end in group play, with fellow two-loss clubs AS Roma (Italy), FC Rosengård (Sweden), and Benfica (Portugal) facing the same fate.

With another competition in the works for North America this fall, this week’s tournament is setting the bar for what players, teams, and fans can expect from W7F moving forward.

How to watch the inaugural W7F tournament

After the group stage wraps on Thursday, the first-ever W7F semifinal slate will begin at 10 AM ET on Friday, followed by the championship match at 3 PM ET.

All W7F matches will stream live on DAZN.

The Atlanta Dream is showing respect, teaming up with Cash App and streetwear brand Playa Society to launch the "Pay Some Respect to Women's Sports" campaign — starting with a new center-court design.

To kick off their latest bold move, the WNBA franchise unveiled their new look this week, showcasing the campaign's title slogan across the State Farm Arena floor.

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The "statement court" will be on full display during the Dream's 2025 home-opener against the Indiana Fever on Thursday night.

Following the game, the boldly designed black, white, and green court will relocate to an area youth nonprofit, donated in an effort to inspire young girls "to chase their dreams like their favorite WNBA team."

The campaign also extends beyond the hardwood, with the team collaborating with Playa Society on a "Pay Some Respect to Women's Sports" retail line.

"This unprecedented court design and retail collection is just the beginning," said Atlanta Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker in a Wednesday press release. "Paying respect to women's sports is at the heart of this partnership and our goal is to set a new standard for how brands and teams collaborate to elevate girls and women who are earning that respect every day."

USA Basketball is heading to France, with NCAA stars Sarah Strong (UConn), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Sahara Williams (Oklahoma) — plus 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Cierra Burdick — packing their bags for this weekend's 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women's Series.

Two-time FIBA 3×3 World Cup champ Burdick anchors the squad, with the 31-year-old returning to international competition just five months after undergoing hip surgery.

The college standouts also have key 3×3 experience, with all three earning gold for the U18 team at the 2022 and 2023 World Cups. 

Reigning NCAA champion and Freshman of the Year Strong also took the 2024 World Cup title, while 2021 World Cup winner Mikaylah Williams owns two USA Basketball 3×3 Female Athlete of the Year awards.

This weekend's event will kick off Team USA's run in this year's 3×3 Series, a five-month, 16-stop global tour with more than $1 million in prize money on the line.

The 14-team Marseille competition begins with a three-team qualifying round followed by pool play on Friday, with Saturday's knockouts determining the champion.

How to watch Team USA in the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women's Series

The US opens their 3×3 campaign against Ireland at 7:15 AM ET on Friday, with continuing live coverage on the All Women's Sports Network and YouTube. 

Boston Legacy FC will make their NWSL debut inside Foxborough's Gillette Stadium, the 2026 expansion club told reporters on Wednesday.

After significant delays impacted the proposed redevelopment of White Stadium, located in Boston's Franklin Park neighborhood, the team will call the NFL venue home for its full inaugural campaign.

With room for 20,000 soccer fans — when not used by up to 64,628 fans for NFL games — suburban Gillette's primary tenants are the New England Patriots.

The stadium is also the current home of pro lacrosse team Boston Cannons and MLS side New England Revolution — as well as the Revolution's third-division counterpart.

With White Stadium originally slated to reopen in March 2026, the Boston Legacy ownership group hit several snags in their plan to renovate the 76-year-old venue.

Following a controversial partnership with the city's public schools, an ongoing lawsuit from an area conservancy organization and community pushback are still causing significant construction delays.

Even so, the NWSL team remains committed to seeing the project through, telling The Athletic that "Boston Legacy FC will play its inaugural season at Gillette Stadium before the club moves into its permanent home at White Stadium in 2027."

"After nearly two years of community process, including more than 70 public meetings, a landmark lease agreement, and a clear victory at trial, White Stadium construction is well underway," the club's statement continued. "But construction will not be finished by March of 2026."

Calling the White Stadium conversion a "profit-driven rush," a local resident told the publication "This news comes as a relief for the communities around Franklin Park."

While sharing Gillette's turf-covered field with several different pro teams isn't an ideal situation, it does allow the NWSL's 15th addition to start off on what appears to be more stable footing — at least for now.