Daniil Medvedev reiterated his desire to play at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships even if he had to forfeit his ranking points.
This year's Wimbledon will be unlike any other for one primary reason. Russian and Belarusian tennis players are banned from competing in the tournament because of the actions of their respective governments.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, with help from Belarus, has had far-reaching consequences for their athletes. Last month, the All England Club confirmed it would act in the best interests and the safety of all stakeholders by prohibiting players from the countries from "promoting" the Russian regime.
The decision has sparked mixed reactions within the tennis world. Most of the players spoke against it and stated that it was not fair that politics is now intertwined with sports.
The ATP, the men's governing body of professional tennis, has acted following the news. It has held meetings between its board members and agreed to strip ranking points. This means players will only compete for pride and prize money.
Medvedev, who has previously spoken of this development and does not support the war, admitted that he wishes to play Wimbledon this year even if it means he won't compete for ranking points.
"They have to, you know, communicate to other players, yeah, about what they are doing. I think it's a tricky situation, because if you come and talk to the council players, they are going to be super happy to answer all your questions, but sometimes we as players, we don't have much free time."
"When the ATP announced it, I was, like, 'Okay, it's official'. Right now I don't know what's gonna happen. You know, my main job is to play tennis, try to get points here as much as I can. Again, I'm gonna repeat again, if I can play Wimbledon I will be happy to be there, even without points."
"With points, will be happy to be there and try to get some points. If I cannot play, I'm gonna stay home, practice hard, and try to be better for my next tournaments."