Medvedev says ready to play as neutral athlete at Paris Olympics

INDIAN WELLS: World number four Daniil Medvedev said he was excited about competing at the Paris Olympics and will follow the rules as a neutral athlete after the sport’s governing body announced its stance on players from Russia and Belarus on Wednesday.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said players from the two countries could take part in the Paris Games as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems. Speaking before his Indian Wells opener on Friday, Russian Medvedev said he was looking forward to playing in the Olympics after a positive experience in Tokyo three years ago when he made the quarter-finals of the singles competition.

“If I can, I’m going to be there. I’m going to play singles and doubles,” Medvedev told reporters. “When I was in Tokyo it was an amazing experience. It was probably one of the biggest memories of my sporting life, which I was surprised (by) because in tennis, we tend to think that the Grand Slams are more important.