“The only way to continue is to play without a flag”: Daniil Medvedev becomes the first ‘Neutral Athlete’ in World Tennis
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Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev, who became the World No. 1 in the ATP rankings earlier this week, sparked a storm of criticism after deciding to remove the Russian flag from his official Instagram account after Russian and Belarusian tennis stars were sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
The tennis player made the change well over a week after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine to separate himself from the tragic war in the neighbouring country. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has pushed the world into disarray. Since Moscow expanded its offensive against Kyiv by causing significant destruction throughout important cities, several Russian athletes have been compelled to speak out against their country’s goals.
Medvedev is one of the first notable Russian athletes to remove his country’s flag from his Instagram account in response to mounting demand. Before scrapping the flag from his account, Medvedev heard from the International Tennis Federation that he would be permitted to compete in any tournament on the circuit, but not with the Russian flag next to his name, as he had been until a week before.
The sanctions imposed on Russia around the world cannot be overlooked. Tennis competitions in Russia and Belarus have been cancelled, but tennis players from Russia and Belarus can still engage in international tournaments including Grand Slams, according to the ITF. They will, however, no longer be able to represent Russia or Belarus, nor will their flags be shown.
Today, 11 days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Medvedev talked publicly for the first time about his future standing as a “neutral athlete” in world tennis.
“Our task is to develop tennis in the countries where each of us comes from and around the world, for this, you have to play tennis week by week at each tournament. At the moment, the only way to continue is to play without a flag, and I will follow this rule. However, I hope that this measure will be temporary. I am waiting for the moment when we will be able to wear the flag again next to our names, those of the Russian athletes,” RIA Novosti quoted Medvedev.
Daniil Medvedev’s Upcoming Schedule
The Indian Wells Masters, which begins on March 7th, and the Miami Open, which begins on March 21st, are Medvedev’s next two tournaments. Then he’ll start his least favourite clay season, which will very likely start with the Monte Carlo Masters. Medvedev has mentioned several times that he dislikes playing on clay.
When Medvedev was broken in the second set after losing the first at Madrid last year, he sat on the courtside bench and said to himself, “It’s the worst surface in the world for me. But if you like to be in the dirt like a dog, I don’t judge.”
However, he will be competing in these events as both the World No. 1 and a “neutral player” for the first time, and with his current form and shape, he is very likely to do well if he does not succumb to his loathing for clay.
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Shilpi Pusadkar
(106 Articles Published)