Daniil Medvedev believes the detention of WNBA star Britney Griner in his home country can be compared to that of Novak Djokovic being unable to play in the US Open.
Earlier this month Griner, who is a two-time Olympic champion in basketball, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug charges. The 31-year-old admitted in court that she had cannabis oil on her when she was searched at the airport but added that it was an ‘honest mistake.’ She was convicted of smuggling and possessing narcotics.
The timing of Griner’s initial arrest occurred shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the court case has triggered high-profile diplomacy negotiations. The BBC reports that officials are looking into the possibility of a prisoner swap between Russia and the USA.
Medvedev was questioned about the case following his first round win at the US Open on Monday. The world No.1 said he doesn’t know the ‘full details’ but said it is never easy when somebody goes to prison. He then added that he believes the legal dispute is in some way similar to that of Djokovic who is unable to play in America at present because he isn’t vaccinated against Covid-19.
“I do think it’s quite comparable to other situations,” he said of Griner’s case. “Let’s talk about Novak. He couldn’t come to the country for whatever reason, because of different laws. We can say does this law make sense? Because Americans can come back without a vaccine. Novak cannot come here and he doesn’t want to live in the USA. He wants to just play the tennis tournament and go back home to Serbia.”
Some speculate that Griner’s detention is politically motivated due to the ongoing war in Europe. Something the tennis star didn’t weigh in on.
“I don’t know the exact situation, but I think if she really had — was it marijuana? Then I don’t know, a law is a law. And if it was true that she didn’t have it, they tossed it (into her suitcase), then it’s not good. But I don’t know what it was and how it happened, so I have nothing more to say.” He added.
Speaking about the Ukraine war and the repercussions it has caused athletes like himself, Medvedev has stated that it has never changed him as a person. Currently, Russian and Belarussian players are only allowed to play on Tour as neutral athletes and were banned from playing at Wimbledon this year.
“I have a lot of friends from different countries all over the world. When this (the war) started, some of them could, for whatever reason, turn their back on me just because I’m Russian. I’m still Daniil Medvedev and I still play tennis. I tend to think that I’m quite kind in life.” He said.
“The situation in Ukraine didn’t change this. There are a lot of good Ukrainians; there are some bad Ukrainians. There are a lot of good Russians; there are some bad Russians. Me, I tried to learn for myself that it’s really important, in my opinion, to see each other person by person.”
Medvedev will play his second round match at the US Open on Wednesday.
