Medvedev puzzled by chance to claim No.1 ranking despite Wimbledon ban

Daniil Medvedev still yearns to play at Wimbledon next month and finds the situation "very strange" that he could climb to the top of the men's rankings even if excluded from the grasscourt Grand Slam, the world number two said on Tuesday. The ATP and WTA last week took away ranking points from Wimbledon following the organisers' decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a 'special operation'. Medvedev briefly took over as world number one from Novak Djokovic earlier in 2022 and will be the highest-ranked player to miss out on the major.

Djokovic, who will lose the 2,000 points he earned by lifting last year's trophy, is among many players who will be affected and could drop down the rankings, paving the way for Medvedev to overtake him. "Very strange," a smiling Medvedev told reporters when asked about him returning to the top of the rankings without even playing at Wimbledon. "I need to be honest.

"I'd be really happy to play Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon. I love playing on grass.

I will play on grass (elsewhere) after Roland Garros. But if I cannot, (I'm) just going to prepare for the next tournaments and just follow what's happening there. "There are no points, I become number one.

Well, great for me. If there are points, I cannot become number one, I'm going to be gutted. It is what it is.