26 February,2022 09:06 AM IST | Mexico | AP
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev
As much as Daniil Medvedev cared about taking over the No.1 ranking in men's tennis, he knew there were more serious matters happening involving his home nation of Russia. A loss for Novak Djokovic at the Dubai Championships meant that the Serbian player would move down to No.2 and Medvedev was assured of becoming the 27th man to hold the top spot in the ATP - even before Medvedev reached the semi-finals by winning his match at the Mexico Open.
It all happened on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began with air and missile strikes on military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across borders from the north, east and south. "Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy," Medvedev said after beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3.
"By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I've been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It's just not easy to hear all this news. ...I'm all for peace." Reflecting on the day, Medvedev added: "In these moments, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important. It was not easy to play and I'm happy that I managed to win the match, but it was bit of a roller-coaster day for me."
Medvedev said he received congratulations from other players about his new ranking, which will become official on Monday. "Of course, I'm happy to reach No. 1," Medvedev said. "It was my goal since I was young." He will face Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Medvedev lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final in January after blowing a two-set lead, a year after losing the final there against Djokovic. Nadal beat American Tommy Paul 6-0 7-6 to reach the semi-finals.
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