‘He Shouldn’t Play in the French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon’ – Ukrainian Tennis Federation Urges ITF to Consider Daniil Medvedev’s Expulsion

Daniil Medvedev is currently the no.1 player in the world and was the finalist at the Australian Open 2022. He also reached the semifinals at Acapulco, both times losing to Rafael Nadal from Spain. But his recent success, in terms of rankings and performance, is under scrutiny, given the current political scenario in the world.

Ukraine Tennis Federation asks ITF to take action.

The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has called for Russia and Belarus to be immediately expelled from the International Tennis Federation. In a letter to the governing body that has been seen by Reuters, the Ukrainian federation termed the actions of the two countries as ‘unprecedented, cynical and bloody.’

They claimed that Russia and Belarus do not have the right to hold international competitions on their territory.  They also said the two countries should also not be allowed to participate in any ITF team and individual tournaments abroad. This has cast a long shadow on the future of Daniil Medvedev – only the third Russian man to reach the pinnacle of men’s tennis.

Seva Kevlych, a board member of the Ukrainian federation, suggested that Medvedev and other Russian players be barred from participating in Grand Slam tournaments. They also said that the Russian Tennis Federation should also be barred from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup team events. Russia won both the competitions in 2021.

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Daniil Medvedev might have to face consequences after Ukrainian tennis federation’s ITF letter

Kevlych told Reuters, “Let (Medvedev) play on the ATP Tour but Grand Slams are ITF events and if you lose the possibility to play in Grand Slams, he could never be world number one. He shouldn’t play in the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon. I don’t care that Russia is the holder of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. It would shame them when the holders are kicked out of these events.”

In response to the Ukrainian appeal, the ITF said that it has taken swift action to cancel all events in Russia indefinitely. The organization has also assured that no event would be held in Belarus in 2022. However, the next course of action is still under deliberation.

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