Daniil Medvedev & Karen Khachanov Forced to Remove Russian Flags From Instagram Bios

Daniil Medvedev made news yesterday after removing his Russian flag from his Instagram bio and while he wasn't the only one, the reason why becomes clear.

Russian athletes have found themselves in hot water due to a slew of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Western countries on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russians have faced restrictions or complete bans in hockey, football, racing, basketball, volleyball, and many other sports.

According to reports by Russian outlet Sputnik Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov were told to remove their national flag from their bios in Instagram by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The Russian outlet cites a source within the ATP for the reported news. On 1 March, the ATP and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) permitted Russian athletes to play in competitions, but only as stateless neutrals.

Neither athlete spoke about the move but the situation is entirely plausible. ATP has not commented on the matter either so the news remains unconfirmed as Sputnik is a news agency owned and operated by the Russian government. It's widely described as a Russian propaganda agency.