'People should stay together': New world no.1 Daniil Medvedev calls for peace after Russia attacks Ukraine

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has called for peace after his country attacked Ukraine. Medvedev was confirmed as the new world number one in men's singles tennis on Thursday after defeating Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarter-final of the Mexican Open to set up a semi-final clash against current Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal.

With Novak Djokovic suffering a shock defeat at the Dubai Championships, the Russian's win over Nishioka at the Mexican Open saw him topple the Serbian to move to the top spot in the rankings. While Medvedev became the first man apart from Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to become the world no.1 in men's singles since 2004, he said it was not easy for him to focus on tennis amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Medvedev said as a tennis player he is all for promoting peace across the world, having played in several different countries himself throughout his career. The Russian tennis star said it was not easy for him to watch the news. "By being a tennis player I want to promote peace all over the world," said the new world no.1 in men's singles tennis.

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"We play in so many different countries. I`ve been in so many different countries as a junior and as a pro. It`s just not easy to hear all this news. I`m all for peace," he added.

Also Read:Novak Djokovic to lose world number one ranking to Daniil Medvedev after shock defeat against Jiri Vesely

Daniil Medvedev praises Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev for Ukranian pairing

Medvedev's Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev had paired up with Ukraine's Denys Molchanov to win the men's doubles title in Marseille last week. Lauding Rublev for his pairing with the Ukrainian, Medvedev said people need to stay together.

"This was amazing because I think people need to stay together and that's the most important," Medvedev said while talking about Rublev and Molchanov.

Though it is one of the biggest moments of his career to attain the top ranking in men's tennis, Medvedev is not worried about the sport and is hopeful of peace prevailing across the world. The Russian tennis star said it is in situations like these that sports take a backseat for more important issues around the globe.

"At this moment, you understand that tennis sometimes is not that important. It was definitely not easy to play and I am happy that I managed to win the match. That was a little bit of a roller-coaster day," said Medvedev.

"In these moments you realise that my match is not important. It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible.

You realise how important (it) is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united. It's about that. We should take care of our earth and of each other. This is the most important thing," he added.