'If I can play Wimbledon I will be happy to' - Daniil Medvedev ready to play if ban lifted

Daniil Medvedev has reiterated his desire to play at Wimbledon if there is a change of stance by the All-England Club.

Wimbledon caused controversy when announcing it would not allow Russian or Belarusian players to compete in the third major of the year on account of the invasion of Ukraine.

That led the governing bodies, the ATP and WTA, to announce that there would be no ranking points available at Wimbledon as not all players were allowed to compete.

The move has prompted some to say Wimbledon will be a glorified exhibition, albeit one with huge prize money and a major championships up for grabs.

Andy Murray has said it will not have the feel of an exhibition, due to prestige of the Grand Slam, but some players have already indicated they may skip the event.

There is still time for a compromise to be found, and Medvedev has said he would be delighted to play - with or without ranking points.

“They have to, you know, communicate to other players, yeah, about what they are doing,” the Russian said in response to being told meetings are set to take place at Roland-Garros this week. “I think it's a tricky situation, because if you come and talk to the council players, they are going to be super happy to answer all your questions, but sometimes we as players, we don't have much free time.

“When the ATP announced it, I was, like, 'Okay, it's official'. Right now I don't know what's gonna happen. You know, my main job is to play tennis, try to get points here as much as I can.

“Again, I'm gonna repeat again, if I can play Wimbledon I will be happy to be there, even without points. With points, will be happy to be there and try to get some points. If I cannot play, I'm gonna stay home, practice hard, and try to be better for my next tournaments.”

Medvedev's focus is on progressing at the French Open. The No. 2 seed beat Laslo Djere in straight sets on Thursday to set up a meeting with Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round.

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