“Very logical”- Daniil Medvedev still skeptical about missing Wimbledon, opines about ATP’s decision to strip ranking points
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Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev, the US Open champion, said that his climb to No. 1 in the rankings as a result of not being able to play at Wimbledon is “very strange.” The Russian, who is ranked second behind Novak Djokovic, started his French Open campaign with a straight-set win on Tuesday, but the big talking point was the All England Club’s decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus from Wimbledon due to the invasion of Ukraine.
In response to the ban, the ATP and WTA stated that no players will get ranking points for their performances at Wimbledon. That means that all players who earned ranking points at Wimbledon in 2021 — Djokovic earned the maximum 2,000 points for winning the tournament — will have those points removed from their records as part of the standard 52-week system, which considers a player’s best 19 tournaments over that time period. Djokovic leads Daniil Medvedev by 680 points, but if the Serb fails to defend his French Open crown, he would lose ranking points.
“I found ATP just more logical”- Daniil Medvedev
“About the ATP decision, it is not easy to comment, but when I read the FAQ of the ATP, why they made this decision because they are explaining themselves, they are not just saying, ‘Okay, we decided that’, I found it very logical what they say at least,” Medvedev said on a press conference after his first-round win.
“This is what I didn’t find in Wimbledon explanations. I’m not saying which decision is right, but at least so far in explaining their decisions, I found ATP just more logical.” The ATP said its decision, which has been unpopular with many, was reached “purely on the basis of maintaining a level playing field for our players across the season”.
Medvedev started his French Open campaign with a clinical 6-2 6-2 6-2 victory over Argentinian Facundo Bagnis on Tuesday, displaying no effects of recent hernia surgery. While exiled from Wimbledon, Medvedev said with a smirk that it was “very strange” that he could become the world’s top-ranked men’s player.
“But I’d be really happy to play Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon,” said the 26-year-old, who plans to compete at grass-court events in Germany and the Netherlands in June. “I love playing on the grass. I will play on grass after Roland Garros. But if I cannot, I’m just going to prepare for the next tournaments and follow what’s happening there. “There are no points, I become number one, well, great for me. If there are points, I cannot become number one, I’m going to be gutted. It is what it is. I cannot change some decisions, both about ATP and Wimbledon.”
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Pritha Ghosh
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