Strange day to become the master of the world.
Especially when you're Russian… On Thursday, taking advantage of Novak Djokovic's premature defeat in Dubai, 26-year-old Daniil Medvedev became the 27th player to reach the No. 1 tennis ranking since the creation of the ATP rankings in 1973. He will be officially on Monday, February 28.
Hours before, his motherland had launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine with airstrikes and then the crossing of borders by ground troops.
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy, blew the Muscovite after beating Nishioka (6-2, 6-3) in the quarter-finals of the Acapulco tournament.
As a tennis player, I want to promote peace around the world.
We play in so many different countries, I've been to so many countries as a junior and as a pro.
It's just not easy to hear all this news… I'm for peace.
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13-match unbeaten run or the soon to be No.1?
🤔 pic.twitter.com/lBjPefkE39
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 25, 2022
Medvedev, who will face Nadal in the semi-finals on Friday night into Saturday in a replay of the historic final at the recent Australian Open, is struggling to fully appreciate his new status.
"In these moments, you understand that tennis is sometimes not so important," he says.
It wasn't easy to play and I'm happy that I managed to win the match, but it was a bit of a roller coaster day for me.
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The most French of Russian players, who was trained on the Côte d'Azur, cited one of the finest examples where sport goes beyond politics.
Last week, his compatriot Andrey Rublev won the doubles title at the Marseille Open 13… with the Ukrainian Denys Molchanov.
"It was incredible, because people need to stay united", slips the winner of the US Open 2021.
Medvedev is the third Russian to sit on the throne after Kafelnikov and Safin.
Last fall, he ended a 16-year Major drought by depriving Novak Djokovic of the calendar Grand Slam in New York.
This had earned him the congratulations of Vladimir Putin, as with each of his great successes.
After his triumph at the 2020 Masters, Putin had praised “great preparation, mastery and a real fighting spirit in beautiful and tense matches”…
