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World No.1 Daniil Medvedev Could Face Potential Wimbledon Expulsion After Latest Political Development
Troubles for world no.1 Daniil Medvedev are mounting with each passing tournament. The Russian star, who lost to Gael Monfils in the round of 16 at Indian Wells, is now planning to prove his mettle in the upcoming Miami Open.
Daniil Medvedev and other Russian players might not be allowed to play Wimbledon this year
According to latest reports, Medvedev faces a potential Wimbledon expulsion as UK’s sports minister Nigel Huddleston wanted more assurance from Russian stars concerning the on-going conflict.
“But it needs to go further than that. We need some potential assurance that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin. I don’t think people would accept them very clearly flying the Russian flag in particular if there’s any element of support for Putin and his regime.”
Nigel Huddleston also mentioned that he would talk to the All England Lawn Tennis Club over the matter. If the proposal made by the sports minister is made official by AELTC, Russian stars such as Medvedev, Rublev, and others will be in a fix concerning their participation at SW19.
So far, the AELTC is yet to respond to Nigel’s statements and it will be an issue of discussion among tennis circles going forward. All the Russian players are allowed to play under the ‘neutral athletes’ tag. Speaking over the same, Medvedev hoped that it would be a temporary measure.
“It’s always tough to talk on this subject because I want to play tennis. I want to promote my sport, I want to promote what I’m doing in my country for sure, and right now the situation is that that is the only way I can play. They will last I think for some time, including Russia not being able to bid for major sporting events now which could be many, many years in the future.”
Mar 12, 2022; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Daniil Medvedev (RUS) hits a shot in his 2nd round match against Tomas Machac (CZE) at the BNP Paribas open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The on-going conflict might have more impact on Russian athletes with different countries making their stances clear over their participation in several tournaments. Already, Russia and Belarus were excluded from the Davis Cup as well as the Billie Jean King Cup. From the recent developments, it seems that it will be a while before Daniil Medvedev and others get a chance to represent Russia at these team events.
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