Daniil Medvedev considers the Russian team would have been favorites to win the United Cup and Davis Cup if not for the ban
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Daniil Medvedev (Image Credit: TASS)
The mixed-gender format team event, the United Cup started on 29th December 2022. Some of the best male and female players are playing in this tournament. However, some brilliant players are still missing from the competition. The names include Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, and Novak Djokovic among others. But there is one great team that is completely missing- The Russian team.
Russia boasts some of the best tennis players in the world. It is the only team that has four players in the top 10. But the ban on Russian and Belarussian tennis players in the wake of the Ukraine-Russia war has bereft them of the chance to participate in this tournament.
Daniil Medvedev who would have been an intrinsic part of this team, in a recent interview, elaborated upon this situation. He definitely thinks that Russia would have fielded a very strong team for this event. The likes of Andrey Rublev, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev himself in one team would have been the favorites to win the trophy.
“Certainly I would have preferred to play the United Cup, just as I had loved participating in the ATP Cup in recent years. The United Cup seems interesting, plus we would have been the only team with four Top 10 singles players, so we would definitely have been in the favorites lot I think. But that’s the way it is and I’m happy to be here in Adelaide to play in this tournament.
“It’s definitely not up to me to decide where Russia can and can’t participate, and I completely understand why we are not playing Davis Cup or United Cup and all other team competitions where we would represent our country,” he said.
Daniil Medvedev is excited to play in Australia
Russia was the defending champion of both the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. However, due to the ban on Russian players by ITF lost the chance of defending their title. The British Government and British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) further decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating in Wimbledon and other ATP and WTA tournaments held every year on British soil.
This decision must have affected the Russian and Belarusian players psychologically. Many Russian and Belarusian players petitioned the British Government, however, could not overturn the decision. Many players also criticized the British Government for their decision. Daniil Medvedev, though, is optimistic that he will be able to play in all the important tournaments as an individual.
“I can only say that I hope to still be able to play all the individual events. As I said many times last year, I will play in all the tournaments where I will be well received: I can play in Adelaide and I am really happy about it, I want to show my best tennis. It’s really exciting, the first tournament of the year. It seems to me that everyone is a little nervous, and that’s normal.
“The sensations you get on the eve of the first tournament of the year are truly special. Usually, I can play well in these first few tournaments, I like playing in Australia so I’m looking forward to it,” he continued further.
Daniil Medvedev will start his season by participating in the Adelaide International 1 tournament. This tournament will also feature Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, and Denis Shapovalov, among others.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)