Daniil Medvedev claims it'd be "obvious" that anyone playing Australian Open is vaccinated, says he considers Novak Djokovic a "friend"
At his press conference ahead of the Paris Masters, Daniil Medvedev was asked to give his thoughts on the COVID-19 rules around the 2022 Australian Open. In response, Medvedev claimed that since unvaccinated players would likely not be permitted to play, it is "obvious" that anyone who enters the tournament has taken the jab.
The Australian Open has been a big talking point in the tennis community lately, with plenty of confusion about the requirements from players. The discussions started when the State of Victoria issued an order mandating all athletes, amongst other professional workers, to be vaccinated in order to carry out their activities in the region.
The Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, has stuck with that position ever since. Australia's Immigration Minister has also thrown his weight behind the move, claiming that unvaccinated players will not be granted a visa.
However, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently said that unvaccinated players would be allowed into the country as long as they quarantine. There has been no communication from the Australian Open organizers amid these conflicting reports, so most players are unsure about the exact status.
Daniil Medvedev, on his part, claimed on Sunday that he "wants" to play in the 2022 Australian Open. He also remarked that the situation is "easy" since being vaccinated allows you to participate without any restrictions.
The Russian went on to hint that some players might cite injury as a reason for missing the event if they want to hide the fact that they are not vaccinated.
"Yeah, look, I want to play there," Daniil Medvedev said. "First, the rules were that you can come there, if you're not vaccinated, quarantine for 14 days. (But) now it's not the case. So it's actually easy. We're going to see in Australia who is going to play or not. Of course, again, you can say you're injured, which can be true sometimes, but I'm willing to play Australia and that's all I have to say."
Another journalist present at the press conference then asked for more clarity from Medvedev on the matter. In response, the Russian cited the example of Novak Djokovic, explaining how the Serb also prefers to keep medical information close to his chest.
"Um, you know, the thing is that I always said it, that I really like Novak's answer about this," Medvedev said. "I want to keep my medical, no matter if it's about vaccine, leg injury, head injury, whatever, I want to keep my medical private for a reason, because I feel like tennis is such a brutal sport where you're always one on one against your opponent, and any information you give him can go against you."
Daniil Medvedev then reiterated that he believes a player needs to be vaccinated in order to play the 2022 Australian Open. However, he remained tight-lipped about his own vaccination status.
"So I decided at one moment of my career, okay, I'm going to keep all of my medical, unless there is something obvious, so for example, if you're playing Australia, it's obvious you're vaccinated," Daniil Medvedev said. "So that's why I said I'm willing to play Australia, but I won't say if you'll see me there, but we're gonna see in January."
Daniil Medvedev was later asked if his recent training session with Novak Djokovic was a serious one or simply a friendly hit. Medvedev answered that it was "very serious", before adding that he was keen to gain first-hand knowledge about the Serb's training sessions.
Just Novak things...
@DaniilMedwed couldn't believe @DjokerNole made that one 😮 https://t.co/e3fUAVFFWG
"It's very serious," Daniil Medvedev said. "Since I have become top 10, I haven't played him in training sessions. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if he had trained a lot or not."
Medvedev went on to assert that the session with Djokovic went as well as he had expected it to. He also shed some light regarding the details of the training session.
"I had anticipated this as a good training session and it was wonderful. We played for two hours, one set, and it was great," Daniil Medvedev said.
The Russian further revealed that he and Djokovic spent some extra time chatting with each other. Medvedev claimed he loves talking to Djokovic, before adding that he considers the Serb a friend.
"Then we talked for 15, 20 minutes, I love talking with him," Daniil Medvedev added. "I think I can say that he's a friend. I hope. It's up to him to say so. It was very pleasurable. We had a great time, especially if we talk about tennis and we had a great chat afterwards."
"I need Novak Djokovic to lose, as well" - Daniil Medvedev on the year-ending No. 1 race
Daniil Medvedev was also asked for his thoughts about the race between himself and Novak Djokovic for the year-ending No. 1 trophy. The Serb currently leads Medvedev by 1,900 points in the race, and is the heavy favorite to clinch the spot for a record-breaking seventh time.
Daniil Medvedev has an outside chance to topple Novak Djokovic, but needs to do exceptionally well at both Paris-Bercy and in Turin. The ATP 250 Stockholm Open is also an option, but Medvedev hinted that he is unlikely to take a wildcard into that event.
"I have three tournaments ahead of me, two tournaments where there are points to grasp," Daniil Medvedev said. "Honestly, I want to win every tournament, because I know that I can do it. Maybe less on other surfaces but this is my aim anyway."
Medvedev then pointed out that he had accomplished the feat of winning the Paris Masters and ATP Finals back-to-back last year. However, he added an air of caution by highlighting the threat posed by Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
"I managed to do that last year," Daniil Medvedev said. "It was wonderful but it's not easy. There are a lot of wonderful players. Zverev is in great shape, Novak is always a tough player, he's always a favorite when he plays. I want to play well."
Daniil Medvedev then admitted that performing well is not enough for the top spot since he also needs Novak Djokovic to fare poorly.
Los mejores del mundo, juntos en #París. 🤝
@DaniilMedwed @DjokerNole https://t.co/20sE3DLo49
"I need Novak to lose, as well," Medvedev explained. "It's not only -- it's not only the fact I need to play well, but for Turin, if I see a small opportunity, maybe I have to keep it into consideration, but it will be enough for the rest. For Grand Slams you have to keep up the good work."