Daniil Medvedev has vowed he will play at Wimbledon this summer if the "tricky" situation over the ban on Russian and Belarusian players is scrapped.
Amid the war in Ukraine, players from both nations were permitted to keep on competing in ATP and WTA events, but under a neutral banner with their national flags forbidden. However, the All England Tennis Club then took things a step further last month.
In a strongly worded statement, they confirmed an outright ban on either country being allowed competitors, saying: "In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships.”
The decision has proved a divisive one, with many current players siding with those banned. Novak Djokovic was among the first to come out and argue that players were being unjustifiably punished.
Russian player Andrey Rublev was scathing about the "illogical" decision. He argued that Wimbledon bosses would have been better served donating the prize money won by him and his compatriots to Ukraine.
The measure is set to rob the tournament of one of the biggest male stars in Medvedev, who has enjoyed a brief stint as World No 1 in 2022. Despite having never been beyond the last-16 at SW19, he would have been expected to challenge this time around after capturing his first Grand Slam at the US Open last September.
He will attempt to compete at the French Open this month having recently recovered from hernia surgery, but has conceded there is little he can do about the Wimbledon saga: “I tried to follow what’s happening because I don’t have any decisions to make. It’s right now about Wimbledon itself, the ATP, maybe the British government is involved,” he told reporters.
“It’s a tricky situation and like every situation in life, you ask 100 players, everybody’s going to give a different opinion. [When] you show a tennis ball to 100 people, I’m sure some of them are going to say it’s green and not yellow. I think it’s yellow. [But] if somebody tells me it’s green, I’m not going to get in conflict with this person.”
Medvedev, 26, has vowed to play if the decision is reversed, and admitted he was in the dark as to whether the ruling was a final one: "I don’t know if this decision is 100% and it’s over," he continued.
"If I can play, I’m going to be happy to play in Wimbledon. I love this tournament. If I cannot play – well, I’m going to try to play other tournaments and prepare well for next year if I have the chance to play."
Medvedev's best effort at the tournament came last year, when he reached the last-16. There, he lost a rain-affected clash with Polish player Hubert Hurkacz.
His chances of bettering that appear remote with the All England Club remaining defiant in the face of mounting criticism. That's despite the threat of legal action, and the prospect of the tournament being stripped of its ranking points.
