"If I can play I will be happy" - Medvedev stil hopeful about playing Wimbledon

Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 22:45

Updated at Monday, 14 October 2024 at 13:24

byAlex Waite

Daniil Medvedev believes he still has a chance to play at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships despite restrictions on Russian players.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian competitors from all formats at the 2022 Championships. As a result, players representing these nations, like Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Aryna Sabalenka, will not be able to compete at the All England Club this season.

After winning the 2021 US Open title and reaching the 2022 Australian Open final, Medvedev will be eager to keep his top-level form rolling in the major events.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Wimbledon event organizers will follow the example of other Grand Slam events, like the Roland Garros, and remove the ban.

Upon his return from a hernia operation in Geneva following a two-month lay-off, the former world number one was asked about the Wimbledon situation. Ultimately, Medvedev recognized that the decision was a difficult one steeped in controversy and opinion that would cause divisions.

"I tried to follow what's happening because I don't have any decisions to make. It's right now about Wimbledon itself, the ATP, maybe the British government is involved. It's a tricky situation and like every situation in life, you ask 100 players, everybody's going to give a different opinion."

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"(When) you show a tennis ball to 100 people, I'm sure some of them are going to say it's green and not yellow. I think it's yellow. (But) if somebody tells me it's green, I'm not going to get in conflict with this person. I don't know if this decision is 100% and it's over (for me)."

Despite his recent good form at the other Grand Slam competitions, Medvedev has been less convincing at Wimbledon in recent years. The Russian player has played at the competition four times and never progressed further than the round of 16.

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old remains hopeful that some resolution will be found so he can feature in the 2022 edition. Expanding on his aspirations for playing at SW19 this summer, Medvedev outlined his aspirations to play but was level-headed that such an outcome may not be possible.

"If I can play, I'm going to be happy to play in Wimbledon. I love this tournament. If I cannot play -- well, I'm going to try to play other tournaments and prepare well for next year if I have the chance to play."