Daniil Medvedev, along with other Russian and Belarusian tennis players, will be able to make a return to Wimbledon this year after missing out last year due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced on Friday that it was overturning the ban levied on players from both countries, allowing them to compete in the 2023 edition, provided they make clear their opposition to the Russian oppression.
Medvedev’s reaction to the news
Reacting to the news at his press conference after his 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 win over Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the 2023 Miami Open, Medvedev admitted that he was “really happy” to be able to play at SW19. “Yeah, the thing is that when you read media, you know kind of, I already saw one week ago that it might be happening but still not official so you never know. So today I guess it’s official. So I’m really happy,” Daniil Medvedev said. Also, the former World No. 1 joked about how Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam he had not yet reached the quarterfinals of, which was surprising to him considering he had done so even at the French Open on clay.
Medvedev’s aspirations for Wimbledon
Daniil Medvedev expressed his desire to improve on his Wimbledon record, adding that it was a “beautiful” tournament he had always enjoyed playing in. “I always said that I love this tournament. It’s the only Grand Slam, which is surprising when we have Roland Garros, that I didn’t make quarters yet, and I want to do better,” Medvedev said. Furthermore, he mentioned his best result at Wimbledon, which involved reaching the fourth round in 2021 (losing to eventual semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz).
Playing without Russian sponsors and crowd reaction
Daniil Medvedev also made it clear that he did not have any Russian sponsors, which is one of the conditions players have to satisfy in order to be allowed to play at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The Russian saw no reason why he couldn’t make the trip to the Grass Major in that case, reiterating how glad he was to be allowed back into the tournament. While Medvedev acknowledged that he did not know what the crowd reaction would be, he was not worried and expressed hope to play some “amazing matches” on the big courts at Wimbledon.
