Grand Slam champion Daniil Medvedev said Wednesday that he has no plans to change his nationality, distancing himself from a growing number of Russian tennis players who have done so in recent years.
Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, several Russian players on the professional tennis circuit have sought to sever formal ties with their home country.
Daria Kasatkina, a former world No. 8 now ranked 43rd, switched her allegiance to Australia last March after criticizing Russia’s treatment of LGBTQ+ people. She has also described the war as a “nightmare.”
More recently, tennis player Anastasia Potapova announced that her application for Austrian citizenship had been approved.
Medvedev, however, said he does not intend to follow that path.
“I 100% understand and respect [those decisions], because, you know, that’s something you can do basically, especially in sports,” he said at the Australian Open. “It’s even maybe a bit easier than for other people.”
“I never really considered this,” said Medvedev, 29, who was born in Moscow and now lives in Monte Carlo. “Because I believe… where you are born is important.
“But again, a lot of players change [citizenship], and I’m friends with them. I’m friends with a lot of players in the locker room, so it’s their choice,” he said.
Russian and Belarusian tennis players currently compete in international competitions under a neutral white flag.
In addition to Kasatkina and Potapova, Russian-born Kamilla Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva have also changed their sporting allegiance, both now representing Uzbekistan.
