"Don't have any response to Wimbledon" - Daniil Medvedev reacts to possible ban on Russian athletes at the British Major
At a press conference ahead of the Miami Open, Daniil Medvedev refused to comment on whether he will play at Wimbledon, stating instead that he "tries to take it tournament by tournament."
Earlier, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said the British government would require "some assurance" from Russian athletes that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin in order to feature in the British Major.
Defending US Open champion Daniil Medvedev may have to provide assurances that he does not support Russian President Vladimir Putin if he is to compete at Wimbledon, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said. es.pn/3IhN55A
Asked about his reaction to the minister's statements, Medvedev said that he didn't "have any response to Wimbledon" and was focussed exclusively on the Miami Masters and the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Russian stressed that he was just happy to play tennis and wanted to "promote the sport all over the world."
Daniil Medvedev has shrugged off the possibility of being barred from Wimbledon.
The status of Russian players at the tournament has been called into question by the British government
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"Look, I try to take it tournament by tournament. I mean, there are always, you know, different rules, regulations in order to play or not to play. You know, right now I'm here in Miami. I can play and I'm happy to play tennis. That's, you know, the sport I love. I want to promote the sport all over the world. We'll have tough moments and good moments," said Medvedev.
"That's, to be honest, all I have to say, you know. That's going to be the same with every tournament. So the next one after this one is Monte-Carlo, you know, where this moment I'm a resident there, so I love this tournament also. I can play it normally and I'm happy to play it. Don't have any response to Wimbledon," added the World No. 2.
"I have to do better if I want to get it back" - Daniil Medvedev on regaining the World No. 1 spot
Daniil Medvedev lost his World No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic after suffering a third-round defeat to Gael Monfils at Indian Wells last week. At the same press conference, the Russian said that while he doesn't think too much about it, he knows he has to perform better to regain the top spot in the rankings.
Indian Wells: Daniil Medvedev loses World No. 1 spot after shock loss to Gael Monfils, Rafael Nadal wins ift.tt/corXAiD
The World No. 2 admitted that he didn't play his best tennis at Indian Wells but insisted that he tries his best at every practice session and tournament he participates in.
Daniil Medvedev becomes just the third Russian man to claim top spot in the men's tennis rankings 馃嚪馃嚭
Here are three talking points on the new world No.1 馃憞
"Yeah, it's not something that stays in my mind nonstop, like I'm not going to bed saying, 'How could I lost it, how can I get it back?' But I know the mathematics, read them all over the place a little bit, and it's kind of the same like in Indian Wells," Medvedev said.
"I didn't manage to play my best there, so that's why I lost. That's why I lost the No. 1 spot. If I manage to play good tennis here, I think I have my chances of getting it back. But, yeah, you know, I want to try my best every day on every practice, every match... I just want to do my best, which I tried to do in Indian Wells and, yeah, here I have to do better if I want to get it back," concluded the Russian.
Daniil Medvedev's 3 weeks as World No. 1 makes it the 3rd shortest stint in ATP history: Here's how he can reclaim the spot from Novak Djokovic at the Miami Masters dlvr.it/SLlkhZ
Daniil Medvedev is defending 180 points at the Miami Open and is 55 points behind Djokovic in the ATP rankings. Hence, the Russian needs to reach the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in order to regain the World No. 1 ranking.
Also read: "I feel at this point we allow them to play" - Todd Woodbridge on the possible ban of Russian players including Daniil Medvedev