Daniil Medvedev has spoken out in support of his fellow athletes from Ukraine, expressing his sympathy for their struggles.
As ongoing Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have far-reaching implications, the former world no. 1 emphasized the importance of personal responsibility during these difficult times. Medvedev competes at the 2023 Indian Wells, where the conflict is one of the main topics due to different reasons.
Medvedev's compassionate stance comes in the wake of Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko's withdrawal from her match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka at the Indian Wells tournament. Following her withdrawal, the Ukrainian revealed that she had a panic attack after a conversation with WTA CEO Steve Simon. During a press conference, Medvedev showed his sympathy with Ukrainians, saying:
"First of all, I definitely do feel sorry for all the Ukrainian players and what they go through. For sure, the situation with Tsurenko, I don't know in details. It's more for her and for maybe a little bit Sabalenka to answer, because I actually didn't know about this till the next day."
The Russian revealed that he was aware of the change in the schedule after his match, as he expected the WTA singles match to be played, while a doubles action followed. At the time, he was not aware why was that.
"I was actually -- because I finished the match before them, and then I was surprised there were doubles after. I thought there was singles match, and then the next day I saw it."
Many fans around the world are calling for more responsibility from athletes in talking about the issue. Medvedev accepted this responsibility, and said:
"Talking about top players, of course we have a responsibility, and it depends how every person, individual, will do with it and will hold with it. I always said the same, I'm for peace all over the world, to be honest, and that's all I can say. I am for peace. So I'm going to continue with the same answer."
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