Daniil Medvedev’s quarterfinal win at the Mexican Open on Thursday guaranteed him the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career but news of his native Russia invading Ukraine was the focus of his attention.
"Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy," Medvedev told reporters 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."
RUSSIAN SOCCER PLAYER FEDOR SMOLOV BECOMES FIRST TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST INVASION OF UKRAINE
Medvedev is not the first Russian athlete to call for peace amid Vladimir Putin’s-led aggression into Ukraine.
Fedor Smolov, a 32-year-old striker for Dynamo Moscow, posted a black square to his Instagram just hours after Russia launched the largest military attack of one state against another on the European continent since World War II.
"No war," his caption read, followed by an emoji of a broken heart and the Ukrainian flag.
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"In these moments, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important," Medvedev continued. "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."
All the way in Dubai, Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote "No war, please" on a camera lens after defeating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in a semifinal match.
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The ATP joined several others this week in relocating or canceling events originally scheduled to be held in Russia. According to Sports Illustrated, the Moscow CH80 event scheduled for Feb. 28 has been "postponed indefinitely."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.