Acapulco – New tennis world number one Daniil Medvedev has expressed concern over the attack by Russian troops on Ukraine.
“Waking up here in Mexico and seeing the news from home was not easy,” the 26-year-old Russian said after his quarter-final win at the ATP tournament in Acapulco. As a tennis player, he promoted peace around the world.
“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 to hear all this news,” Medvedev said.
Djokovic’s defeat in Dubai
Because Novak Djokovic lost in the parallel tournament in Dubai, he will hand over his lead in the world rankings to Medvedev next Monday. Of course he is happy to become number one, Medvedev said, describing it as a goal since childhood. “But in these moments it’s clear that sometimes tennis is not so important,” said this year’s Australian Open finalist and 2021 US Open winner. Medvedev will face Spain’s Rafael Nadal, against whom he last lost in the Melbourne final after leading 2-0 in sets, in the Acapulco semi-finals.
Medvedev pointed out that last week at the Marseille tournament his Russian compatriot Andrei Rublyov won the doubles title together with Ukraine’s Denis Molchanov. “That was great because people have to stick together,” Medvedev said.