Is Daniil Medvedev banned from the US Open? Looking at the rules for Russian players at the season's final Grand Slam
Daniil Medvedev is all set to defend his US Open crown at the tournament's 142nd edition — scheduled to begin on August 29. The World No. 1 missed out on the last Grand Slam at Wimbledon in the wake of the All England Club's blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
Medvedev stunned the tennis world with his title-winning run at the US Open last year, which also denied Novak Djokovic a Calendar Slam. The Russian has since gone on to reach another Slam final in Melbourne and make the second week in Paris. His consistent graph, however, took a hit as he was forced to miss out on the grasscourt Major this year.
In a statement released to the public, the Wimbledon organizers said that players from Russia and Belarus will be denied the chance to compete at the grass Slam.
"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships. It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players," the Wimbledon statement read.
The decision drew a range of reactions from the tennis fraternity, but Medvedev himself chose to stay rather tight-lipped on the issue.
In any case, Medvedev, like the other Russian and Belarusian players, would be keen to move past the episode and focus on finishing off strong in New York. With Wimbledon's decision to ban players from the two nationalities being an isolated one, Medvedev and the ilk will be back in contention for the big prize at the US Open.
The likes of World No. 8 Andrey Rublev, Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachakov and the big-hitting Aslan Karatsev will also be free to compete at Flushing Meadows after being denied in London.
Joining them will be Daria Kasatkina — the top-ranked Russian, countrywomen Veronika Kudermetova, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Ludmilla Samsonova, as well as three-time former finalist Victoria Azarenka, top-10 player Aryna Sabalenka and the resurgent Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev faces uphill battle in return to US Open
Daniil Medvedev will face an uphill battle on his return to the US Open as an absolutely stacked field stands in the way of the Russian successfully defending his crown from 12 months ago.
While Novak Djokovic's participation in the tournament is still uncertain given the ambiguity surrounding the Covid vaccine rules in the US, former champion Rafael Nadal's presence in the draw will surely complicate things for Medvedev.
In addition to Nadal, there are a host of talented youngsters led by the fast-rising Carlos Alacaraz and Jannik Sinner as well as in-form players like Nick Kyrgios and Taylor Fritz to further put the World No. 1 to a test.
Medvedev, who has been the man to beat on hardcourts in recent times, will still be fancying his chances in most of these match-ups. Having missed Wimbledon, the desire to succeed on the big stage could have only gotten stronger.