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After losing his World No.1 ranking with a loss at the Indian Wells Open on Monday, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev could stand to lose more because of his country’s conflict with Ukraine.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said Tuesday at a select committee in Parliament that aside from athletes agreeing not to represent Russia at Wimbledon, there have been discussions at possibly having competitors denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to compete.
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, reacts after scoring a point against Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, at the U.S. Open on Sept. 10, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“Absolutely, nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed or enabled,” he told the committee, via Reuters. “But I think it needs to go beyond that, I think we need to have some assurance that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin, and we are considering what requirements we may need to get assurances along those lines.”
Medvedev, a 26-year-old from Russia who won last year’s U.S. Open and was the runner-up at this year’s Australian Open, competed at the Indian Wells Open under a neutral flag. He said before his first match that he hopes for peace but tries not to be involved in politics.
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Daniil Medvedev pauses during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy, at the 2020 Olympics on July 28, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
”I want to promote my sport, promote it in my country for sure also. Right now, the situation is this is the only way we can play so that’s what I’m going to do. I will try to fight on the court and try to win the tournaments and try to beat the other guys,” he said, via Yahoo Sports.
Huddleston added that they were in talks with Wimbledon organizers on how to proceed.
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Daniil Medvedev of Russia during a match at the Telcel ATP Mexican Open 2022 at Arena GNP Seguros on Feb. 24, 2022, in Acapulco, Mexico. (Regina Cortina/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
“We are looking at this issue of what we do with individuals and we are thinking about the implications of it, because I don’t think people would accept individuals very clearly flying the Russian flag, in particular if there is any support for Putin and his regime.”
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