‘I have to follow the rules’ – Why Daniil Medvedev thinks missing Wimbledon may help his US Open prospects

Daniil Medvedev sees the positives in his Wimbledon ban and says it has given him more time to prepare for the North American hardswing.

World No. After the ban on Russian and Belarusian players due to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, 1 Medvedev was the most prominent player to be absent from Wimbledon.

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He claims he is well-prepared for the summer, which has in recent years been his strongest time of the season.

“You have to appreciate it because I definitely couldn’t change the decision of Wimbledon. I have to follow the rules,” he said at the Canadian Open in Montreal.

“If you focus on the negative part. I knew I wanted to play Wimbledon and I was determined to succeed there. I strive to play well in the biggest tournaments.

“You can just stay in this circle of, ‘oh, my God, I was not able to be there’.

“I’ve made a very good preparation block for the US Open Series, which normally you cannot do because you play Wimbledon. It was possible. I felt 100 percent physically and mentally. Really happy with Los Cabos for sure with the title.”

Medvedev and his fellow Russians are allowed to compete in events this summer. However, they will do so under a neutral banner.

Medvedev claims that this doesn’t bother much.

“What matters is playing tennis. I love my job. Yeah, again, it’s about following the rules.

“The rule at one point was very clear that we have to play under neutral flag. Me, I’m still Daniil Medvedev. I want to win big titles, win big matches or small matches. It doesn’t change.”

On Wednesday, top seed Medvedev will defend his Canadian Open title.

He is the strong favourite to win the tournament, with many big names absent, including the world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, world No. 3 Rafael Nadal, world number. 6 Novak Djokovic.

Roger Federer is also absent while he continues his recovery after a third knee surgery.

Reflecting on the fact Nadal, Djokovic and Federer are all missing, Medvedev said: “If the Big Three in the tournament, they’re the favourites straight away.

“And it’s easy because they win a lot of tournaments, almost every tournament they play in. It’s no surprise that they are our favourites.

“At the same time for me, it doesn’t change much if they’re here or not because my goal is to win the tournament. No matter who I play in final, whether it’s a qualifier, wild card, lucky loser, or second seed, my goal is to win the match. Then of course, it’s sometimes different sensations when you beat somebody from the Big Three.”

Medvedev will be world No. 1 if he makes it to Montreal. From the US Open, he will remain at No. 1