PARIS: There will be no flags or fanfare for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics but Russia’s highest-profile athlete in the French capital is unlikely to be far from the headlines.
The tennis star, along with other Russian and Belarusians at the Games, has to compete as a neutral following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Having demonstrated that they have not supported the war and have no links to the military, they have been allowed to compete but cannot fly their national flags.
The two countries’ national anthems are also banned and should Medvedev win an Olympic medal for the first time, the achievement will not be recognised in the medals table.
“When I’m 40, if I can say I played in the Tokyo Olympics, Paris Olympics and Los Angeles Olympics, I had a lot of fun in my life, my career, I’m going to be happy,” said Medvedev.
The 28-year-old world number five is one of the most controversial players in tennis.
The 1.98m (6ft 6ins) giant came close to being disqualified from his Wimbledon semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz this month for a foul-mouthed rant at the chair umpire, before escaping with a warning.
Medvedev explained that he had called the official “a small cat”.
His explosive temperament has seen him feud with rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev and also crowds around the world.
At the Paris Masters last year, he branded fans “stupid” for jeering during one of his matches.
Despite suggesting that he would halt his match, he agreed to continue, but warned his tormentors “shut your mouths, okay!”
Despite his fiery personality the chess-playing and fluent French-speaking Medvedev has reached the peaks of the sport.
At the 2021 US Open he claimed his only major title, easily defeating Novak Djokovic in the final and denying the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam. — Reuters
