Daniil Medvedev says it is "not for players to decide" tour vaccine policy, claims the conditions at US Open are "pretty fast" this year
Daniil Medvedev defeated Dominik Koepfer in straight sets to reach the third round of the 2021 US Open on Wednesday. The Russian was relatively comfortable from start to finish, dropping just seven games throughout the match.
While speaking at his post-match press conference, the Russian weighed in on the possibility of vaccination being made mandatory for tennis players. Earlier on Wednesday, Victoria Azarenka commented how "bizarre" it was that fans were required to be vaccinated at Flushing Meadows but players were not.
When asked about the Belarusian's comments, Medvedev first claimed he didn't have an answer to the question. But he did go on to assert that the governing bodies, and not the players, should decide the vaccine policy on tour.
"Tough to answer on this question. I think everybody can have his own opinion. Yeah, I don't have an answer to this question, honestly," Daniil Medvedev said. "I understand why they did it to the fans. So far it has not been applied to the players. We as players, we can just follow the guidelines and the rules. That's all we can do."
"I think it's not for players to decide, because that's why we have governing bodies in tennis," he added. "Sometimes we might not be happy with them; sometimes we might be happy. But it's still them who make the decisions. It's definitely not players. Otherwise many things could be different in a good or a bad way. So we are just, you know, hard workers who do their job on the tennis court."
During the course of his press conference, Daniil Medvedev also touched upon the speed of the courts at Flushing Meadows this year. The Russian claimed the courts in general are quick, but that Center Court is slower due to the unique conditions.
"(On) center court, especially in Grand Slams, the difference is huge," Medvedev said. "It's normal. The surface they are going to put it the same; just the conditions gonna be different. So center court is always slower."
"I practiced on the practice courts, and they are super fast," he added. "It's like many, many times you take the ball late. Center is a bit slower conditions; not the surface itself, it's pretty fast. The serve goes fast, it slides in the court."
"I like that we have different hardcourts on tour" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev went on to compliment the variety of hardcourts on the ATP tour. At certain Masters 1000 events like Indian Wells and Miami the courts are fairly slow, while at others like Shanghai and Cincinnati they are much quicker.
"I like it. I like that we have different hardcourts on tour, because some tournaments it's really, really slow," Medvedev said. "Some tournaments, as here, is quite fast. I think, yeah, it's good for everybody, I would say."
Daniil Medvedev was also asked about the 'Pride Day' initiative at the US Open, and whether he thought the ATP tour would be welcoming of a player coming out as gay. The Russian replied that he would be "super open" if a player came out, and claimed that ATP is going a "good job" to make the atmosphere safe for everyone.
"I think everybody would be super open if somebody would come out on the ATP tour," Medvedev said. "I think it's great from US Open this initiative. I think ATP honestly is doing a good job also especially internally trying to provide info and to just make sure that if anybody wants to come out, he's going to feel safe and secure."