AS Much as Daniil Medvedev cared about taking over the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis, he knew there were more serious matters happening Thursday involving his home nation of Russia.
A loss by Novak Djokovic at the Dubai Championships meant that the Serbian player would move down to No. 2 and Medvedev was assured of becoming the 27th man to hold the top spot in the ATP _ even before Medvedev reached the semifinals by winning his match at the Mexico Open.
How all happened on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began with air and missile strikes on military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across borders from the north, east and south.
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy,” Medvedev said after beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. … I’m all for peace.”
HomeSportsTennisNew No. 1 Medvedev: Watching Russia-Ukraine news 'not easy'
New No. 1 Medvedev: Watching Russia-Ukraine news ‘not easy’
By: AP |
Updated: February 25, 2022 2:00:47 pm
Daniil Medvedev, Mexican Open
Daniil Medvedev of Russia returns a ball during a match against to Benoit Paire of France at the Mexican Open tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
As much as Daniil Medvedev cares about taking over the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis, he also knows there are more serious matters happening involving his home nation of Russia.
ADVERTISEMENT
As much as Daniil Medvedev cared about taking over the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis, he knew there were more serious matters happening Thursday involving his home nation of Russia.
A loss by Novak Djokovic at the Dubai Championships meant that the Serbian player would move down to No. 2 and Medvedev was assured of becoming the 27th man to hold the top spot in the ATP _ even before Medvedev reached the semifinals by winning his match at the Mexico Open.
ADVERTISEMENT
It all happened on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began with air and missile strikes on military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across borders from the north, east and south.
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy,” Medvedev said after beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. … I’m all for peace.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Medvedev noted that the pair that won the doubles title at the Marseille Open last week included one Russian (Andrey Rublev) and one Ukrainian (Denys Molchanov), saying: “This was amazing, because people need to stay together.”
Reflecting on the day, Medvedev added: “In these moments, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important. … It was not easy to play and I’m happy that I managed to win the match, but it was bit of a roller-coaster day for me.”
HomeSportsTennisNew No. 1 Medvedev: Watching Russia-Ukraine news 'not easy'
New No. 1 Medvedev: Watching Russia-Ukraine news ‘not easy’
By: AP |
Updated: February 25, 2022 2:00:47 pm
Daniil Medvedev, Mexican Open
Daniil Medvedev of Russia returns a ball during a match against to Benoit Paire of France at the Mexican Open tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
As much as Daniil Medvedev cares about taking over the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis, he also knows there are more serious matters happening involving his home nation of Russia.
ADVERTISEMENT
As much as Daniil Medvedev cared about taking over the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis, he knew there were more serious matters happening Thursday involving his home nation of Russia.
A loss by Novak Djokovic at the Dubai Championships meant that the Serbian player would move down to No. 2 and Medvedev was assured of becoming the 27th man to hold the top spot in the ATP _ even before Medvedev reached the semifinals by winning his match at the Mexico Open.
ADVERTISEMENT
It all happened on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began with air and missile strikes on military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across borders from the north, east and south.
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy,” Medvedev said after beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. … I’m all for peace.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Medvedev noted that the pair that won the doubles title at the Marseille Open last week included one Russian (Andrey Rublev) and one Ukrainian (Denys Molchanov), saying: “This was amazing, because people need to stay together.”
Reflecting on the day, Medvedev added: “In these moments, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important. … It was not easy to play and I’m happy that I managed to win the match, but it was bit of a roller-coaster day for me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Top Sports News Now
Weekly Sports Newsletter: Why Wriddhiman Saha got support and Wasim Jaffer didn’t
Aaron Raphael, four-year-old from Bengaluru, selected to train at Toni Kroos Academy
Dubai Championships: Russia's Andrey Rublev writes 'No War Please' on TV camera after win
CLICK HERE FOR MORE
The 26-year-old Medvedev, who won last year’s U.S. Open for his first Grand Slam title, said he received congratulations from other players about his new ranking, which will become official on Monday.
“Of course, I’m happy to reach No. 1,” Medvedev said. “It was my goal since I was young.“
He will face Rafael Nadal or Tommy Paul in the semifinals of the hard-court tournament. Medvedev lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final in January after blowing a two-set lead, a year after losing the final there against Djokovic.
“Always playing against the Big Three or Big Four, it’s an honor, and a great challenge. In Australia (against Nadal), I could have won, but the result in the end was that I lost,” Medvedev said. “It was a tough loss, but that’s how sport is.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas also moved on to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marcos Giron.
The third-seeded Tsitsipas will play Peter Gojowczyk or Cameron Norrie next.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev was kicked out of the tournament after violently hitting the chair umpire’s stand with his racket following a loss in doubles.
Zverev was fined $40,000 and will forfeit more than $30,000 in prize money and all rankings points from the Mexican Open. In addition to those penalties, the ATP announced Thursday it would undertake “a further review of the incident.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.