Rublev on Wimbledon ban: "We offered some solutions that could be really helpful diplomatically"

ATP
Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 19:00
rublev dubai
Andrey Rublev is not done talking about the Wimbledon ban and for good reason as the Russian wants to show that the players care about what's going on.
The War in Ukraine put Russian players in a weird spot as there was nothing that they could do without angering one side or the other. Despite that, the vast majority of them have denounced the actions of their country with Rublev and Medvedev both doing that publicly, Rublev especially. The younger Russian was particularly keen on solving as much as he could explaining:
“We offered some solutions that could be really helpful diplomatically – playing in mixed doubles with Ukrainians or not coming for the medals. We wanted to use the platform of a championship to show that we don’t fight here, that there is no war in tennis. It’s most important now."
He also confirmed that he was really frustrated by the Wimbledon ban explaining that tennis players work for those events:
“Everyone is working as hard as possible and attending other tournaments just to get to the four Grand Slams and show their best. Of course, I was frustrated when I found out about the suspension. Everything I earn, I invest in my career and then I am forbidden from doing my work. It is upsetting for sure.”
Rublev also added that he wanted to send a powerful message from the court but he kept getting the same response:
“As a tennis player, I could deliver the right message from the court but I kept getting the same answer: The Russian government is going to use our results for propaganda. So whatever I’d say, the answer was, and is, the same. I couldn’t understand why they say so.”
In the end, Russian claimed credit for Rybakina winning the trophy hence why the propaganda argument.

Just In

Popular News