Is the newly crowned world number one Daniil Medvedev (26) threatened with being kicked out of all Grand Slams?
At least that’s what the Ukrainian Tennis Association demands! In a letter to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Ukrainians are calling for all Russian and Belarusian tennis players to be kicked out of the association.
This would exclude world number one Medvedev from all Grand Slams!
Seva Kevlysh, president of the Ukrainian federation, on Monday: “He (Medvedev) should not play at the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon.”
Kewlysch continued: “Let (Medvedev) play on the ATP Tour, but Grand Slams are ITF events and if you can’t play them, you can never be number one. It would bring them shame if they were kicked out of the competition now.”
The President also called for the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from the Davis and Billie Jean Cup. The Russians are currently the title holders there.
Only on Monday did Medvedev Novak Djokovic (34) take first place in the world rankings after the Russian moved into the semifinals against Rafael Nadal (35) at the ATP tournament in Acapulco (Mexico).
There, the new world number one also commented on the war in Ukraine.
Medvedev: “We play in so many different countries, I was in so many different countries as a junior and as a professional. It’s not easy hearing all this news. Waking up here in Mexico and seeing the news from home was not easy.”
The Russian tennis star Anastasiya Pavlyuchenkowa (30), last year’s finalist at the French Open, had previously commented on the war via social media.
She wrote on Instagram: “Personal ambition or political motives cannot justify violence. This not only robs us of our future, but also that of our children. Stop the violence, stop the war.”
The Russian world number six Andrei Rublev (24) also wrote “No War” on a camera at the tournament in Acapulco.
