Daniil Medvedev Says Ukraine Invasion Makes Tennis Unimportant

Russia's Daniil Medvedev in action during his round of 16 match against Spain's Pablo Andujar

"At this stage, one understands that tennis is sometimes not so important," said Medvedev after winning his quarter-final in the Acapulco Open.

• Daniil Medvedev confirmed to become new World No. 1 in men's singles
• Medvedev spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• He will face Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the Mexican Open

Daniil Medvedev was confirmed as the new World No. 1 in men's singles tennis on Thursday but the Russian star said it was not easy to focus on tennis as he was hearing news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Medvedev won his Mexican Open quarter-final against Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan and set up a semi-final against Australian Open champions Rafael Nadal. As Novak Djokovic lost his quarter-final on Friday in Dubai, Medvedev was confirmed to become the World No. 1.

In fact, Medvedev becomes the first man apart from Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray to be ranked No. 1 in men's singles tennis since 2004.

However, Medvedev took time to address the conflict, saying he wants to see people together and that he is all for peace.

Russian Daniil Medvedev said he wanted to promote peace around the world after a "roller-coaster day" when he was confirmed as the world's top tennis player and his country invaded Ukraine.

"By being a tennis player I want to promote peace all over the world," Medvedev said after his quarter-final win in Acapulco.

"We play in so many different countries. I've been in so many different countries as a junior and as a pro. It's just not easy to hear all this news. I'm all for peace."

MEDVEDEV LAUDS RUBLEV FOR UKRANIAN PAIRING

Medvedev's compatriot, Andrey Rublev, ranked seventh in the world, paired up with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov to win a doubles title in Marseille last week.

"This was amazing because I think people need to stay together and that's the most important," Medvedev said, referring to the partnership between Rublev and Molchanov.

"At this moment, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important," he said, adding he wanted to win his match.

"It was definitely not easy to play and I am happy that I managed to win the match. That was a little bit of a roller-coaster day."

Rublev said he was getting some bad comments online because of the situation in Ukraine.

"In these moments you realize that my match is not important. It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible," Rublev said after his victory over American Mackenzie McDonald at the Dubai Championships late on Thursday.

"You realize how important (it) is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united. It's about that. We should take care of our earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."

Source: IndiaToday