"I don't think Daniil Medvedev will be tennis-wise affected by the fact there is a war between Russia and Ukraine" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Patrick Mouratoglou believes World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev won't be affected "tennis-wise" by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The renowned coach also feels it would be "really unfair" if tennis' governing bodies decided to suspend Russian players from competing on tour.
The ITF recently announced the cancelation of all ITF events in Russia and Belarus as well as the suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Belarus Tennis Federation (BTF) from team competitions. This means that RTF's men's and women's teams will not be able to defend the titles they won in the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup in 2021.
Players from Russia and Belarus are allowed to play on the ATP and WTA tours and at Grand Slam events, but not under the name or flag of their respective nations "until further notice."
Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis
⬇️
Medvedev overtook Novak Djokovic to top the ATP rankings for the first time in his career last week. The 26-year-old holds a 12-3 record in 2022 across the ATP Cup, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open in Acapulco.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Serena Williams' coach Mouratoglou praised the courage of Russian athletes who have spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine.
"So, those [Russian] athletes, by taking a position against the war, they are in a way, going against the decisions of the Russian government," Mouratoglou said. "They put themselves at risk already by doing that. So, we have to also pay tribute and respect to the courage that they have by saying things publicly - which I think they're right to do. But you have to have the courage to do it and you have to accept the consequences to be maybe not welcome in your own country."
The Frenchman then gave his take on how the situation could affect Medvedev and the possibility of Russian players being banned.
"I don't think Daniil will be tennis-wise affected by the fact there is a war between Russia and Ukraine," Mouratoglou continued. "I think that on a personal or emotional side he might be, but I don't think it's going to affect his level of play. The real risk is that the ITF, the ATP, the WTA - they decide to suspend Russian players from playing tennis, which I would find really, really unfair.
"Especially the players who have clearly expressed the fact that they were 100% against war," Mouratoglou added. "So, why would they be condemned for what their country - I mean, it's not even their country, it's the president of their country - decided to do, which has nothing to do with them."
Daniil Medvedev will compete at the Indian Wells Masters this week
Daniil Medvedev will play a tournament for the first time as World No. 1 when he begins his campaign as the men's top seed in Indian Wells later this week. The Russian is looking to win his first title of the 2022 season, having reached the final of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the Mexican Open.
Medvedev holds a 5-4 (56%) record from his four appearances in Indian Wells, making it his least successful hardcourt ATP Masters 1000 event. His best result to date was reaching the fourth round last year, where he bowed out to Grigor Dimitrov.