Google News Patrick Mouratoglou on if Daniil Medvedev's game will be affected by war
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 2845
Renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou thinks it's respectable that Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have publicly spoken out against the war. The leading Russian players - Medvedev, Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova - have all publicly called for peace in the world following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"So, those [Russian] athletes, by taking a position against the war, they are in a way, going against the decisions of the Russian government," Mouratoglou said in a video posted on his Instagram account, per Sportskeeda.
"They put themselves at risk already by doing that. So, we have to also pay tribute and respect to the courage that they have by saying things publicly - which I think they're right to do. But you have to have the courage to do it and you have to accept the consequences to be maybe not welcome in your own country."
Mouratoglou doesn't think Medvedev's game will be impacted by the war
The ATP, WTA and ITF released a statement last week, condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and Belarus have been suspended from team events but Russian and Belarus players are allowed to compete in individual events. However, Russian and Belarus player don't compete anymore under the name or flag of their respective countries.
"I don't think Daniil will be tennis-wise affected by the fact there is a war between Russia and Ukraine," Mouratoglou continued. "I think that on a personal or emotional side he might be, but I don't think it's going to affect his level of play.
The real risk is that the Itf, the ATP, the WTA - they decide to suspend Russian players from playing tennis, which I would find really, really unfair. "Especially the players who have clearly expressed the fact that they were 100% against war.
So, why would they be condemned for what their country - I mean, it's not even their country, it's the president of their country - decided to do, which has nothing to do with them."