Medvedev asked about Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia: ‘Djokovic also couldn’t enter the United States… the law is the law’

Daniil Medvedev had a rather tense first press conference at the US Open. The Russian had to deal with a series of questions focused on aspects outside the court and even tennis. His nationality and his current events have left him as spokesperson for two fairly complex subjects: the war in Ukraine and the arrest of American basketball player Brittney Griner in Moscow.

But the world number one is not someone who avoids complex issues. On the contrary, he showed his opinion without problem and moreover caused a sensation by the way he approached the question related to the arrest of the American star when they found marijuana at the Moscow airport. . “It’s quite comparable to what the United States has done with Novak Djokovic , who was also unable to enter the United States, preventing him from coming to practice his profession, while Americans can move freely in the country even if they are not vaccinated. He doesn’t want to live here, just play a tournament. However, they argue that it’s a law and Griner is in Russia because a law prohibits carrying marijuana, well I don’t know, a law is a law . I don’t know what happened, I can’t say more,” Medvedev said.

In short, the Russian believes that the two episodes are similar, because in both it is the legislative framework that predominates. In the United States, there is a law that does not allow non-vaccinated people to enter the country, so Djokovic could not travel and play the tournament. In Russia, for its part, it is stipulated by law that carrying marijuana entails penalties, for which the player has committed a crime.

Finally, on the war between his country and Ukraine, he also had words, explaining that he does not judge people on their nationality, but rather tries to see them as unique and different individuals. “About this situation, I don’t really know how to explain it and I don’t want to sound rude, but I try to see it from person to person. There are many Ukrainians who are very good people, there are others who are bad. There are a lot of Russians who are good people, and there are other bad Russians. In my case, I tried to find out for myself what really matters, and found that it happens from person to person. I couldn’t explain it better “, he explained.