No. 2 Medvedev back on ATP tour after Wimbledon ban

GENEVA-

The recent news from Ukraine is “very disturbing,” according to No. Daniil Medvedev, the #2 ranked tennis player saidSunday was the day that Wimbledon organizers banned him and other Russians.

The U.S. Open champion spoke at Geneva Open, where he returned to action after a five week absence from the ATP Tour due to a hernia injury.

Medvedev stated, “I had time to observe what’s happening, yeah it’s very upsetting,” saidWhen asked if he could watch the conflict in Ukraine closely without playing, he replied “Yes.”

Medvedev previously saidIn February after Russia invaded Ukraine, he said that he was all for peace.

While most Olympic sports prohibited Russian athletes from international competitions or teams, tennis allowed them to continue playing as individuals and not as representatives for their country.

Wimbledon organizers took it further by announcing, three weeks ago, with support from the U.K. government, a decision to ban Russia and “limit Russia’s influence global through the strongest means possible”.

They saidThat could change “if circumstances materially change” in the war, before the tournament starts June 27.

Medvedev saidIn Geneva, he said that he doesn’t know if his decision is 100%. He will now play at Wimbledon, where last year he reached the round 16.

“If I can play I’m going be happy to play at Wimbledon. He said, “I love this tournament.” said.

Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked tennis player, has called the Wimbledon ban “crazy”. On Sunday, he was asked by a reporter after the Italian Open title whether players should avoid the Grand Slam grass-court event.

Djokovic says, “Boycotting can be too aggressive.” said. “There are some solutions that are better than this and we can try to find them. It seems that there’s little room for error after speaking to the players involved in the Wimbledon discussions.

Medvedev was relaxed and smiling throughout his 16-minute newsconference. He spoke in English as well as French.

“Me personally, in life, I try and respect every opinion since every human life has its own uniqueness,” he said. said. “If you show a tennis ball in front of 100 people, I guarantee that some will say it’s yellow and not green.

“I believe it’s yellow. If I hear it’s green, I’m not going.

Medvedev is top-seeded in the Geneva clay-court tournament. He will be facing Richard Gasquet or John Millman in the second round.

This tournament will serve as his main preparation for next Sunday’s French Open. Medvedev, 26, has never advanced beyond the first round of the tournament at Roland Garros.

He said, “It’s never been simple for me on clay court (to straight away start) well.” said. “Even one tournament is going be great to prepare. Physically, I feel great.”

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This report was contributed by Andrew Dampf, AP Sports Writer in Rome

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