Indian Wells
Bill Simons
I’ve been covering tennis for 42 years.
I’ve been to thousands of press conferences and asked countless questions. I try to get to the essence of things. But I’m not sure that I’ve ever asked a more important question.
Russian Daniil Medvedev is not only the No. 1 player in the world, arguably he is the most important Russian sportsperson in the world.
He must be under great pressure. But at this moment it’s obvious our future and our planet are in danger. I thought of the question Sportstyle Magazine asked Jantzen executive Bart Blout in 1984: “In light of the events of 1984,” they began, “What is your biggest concern for the sporting goods industry?” Blout’s response: “Nuclear war. The rest is just a game.”
It’s hard to argue with that. Today, we certainly could have asked Daniil about his being No. 1, his behavior in Australia, or the stunning beauty of Indian Wells. I went in a different direction.
“Daniil,” I began. “You’ve moved brilliantly to the very top of our sport and now are a major international figure. You have spoken out eloquently that you want to promote peace…and how our game does that. My two-part question is what have you heard from your friends, your people, in Russia? And, at this very grave moment for our world, our civilization, do you think the Russian people at any point will rise up and say, ‘No’ to Mr. Putin?”
Daniil responded, “You know that is how politics is in the world in general, in good times, in bad times. Every person around the world in any country, you take ten guys, there are going to be like ten different views. The general opinion is going to be the same. But if you go in details it is going to be different. The same about my friends in Russia. They all have different opinions and in these moments we…talk a lot about politics but I try to not get too much into that because…everyone has a different opinion and I respect everyone’s opinion…Every country has in the history, take 2000 years, every country had different moments, different path, different roots. So I will be able to answer this question in probably 20 years, ten years, maybe five years. Right now I don’t have an answer.” Medvedev dodged around my question like he plays tennis, displaying adept, seamless defense.
Still, I tried to follow up, asking, “What about the second part of my question?” “That was the answer to the second part of your question. I think in 20 years we’ll know more. Still there are always secret books, but we are going to know more what happened and how it ended.”
That’s how my exchange ended. But since the invasion began, others in tennis have spoken up.
As the violence flared some 6,400 miles from this haven, Russian Andrey Rublev wrote, “No more war please” on a TV camera lens. Uploading a photo of himself posing with his ninth career singles trophy, Rublev wrote, “Through the pain that we share, always keep light inside,” alongside a black love heart.
For his part, Novak Djokovic offered financial help. To his credit, Medvedev did make a poignant statement as Russian troops rolled: “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world,” he said in Mexico. “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.”
Medvedev also spoke of the doubles partnership between Russian Rublev and Ukrainian Denys Molchanov, who won the doubles in Marseille last week. Russian Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova, the world No. 14, offered a heroic plea: “I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid, I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country – but now I am in complete fear, as are my friends and family.
“But I am not afraid to clearly state my position, I am against war and violence. Personal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence. This takes away the future not only from us but also from our children – I am confused and do not know how to help in this situation. I’m just an athlete who plays tennis, I am not a politician, not a public figure. I have no experience in this. I can only publicly disagree with the decisions taken and openly talk about it. Stop the violence, stop the war.”
Not surprisingly, Ukrainians Elina Svitlona and Dayana Yastremska have played tourneys under excruciating pressure. Yastremska said that, due to Russia’s invasion, her match in the Lyon finals was the toughest one she’s ever played. After losing to Zhang Shuai she said, “If the Ukrainian people are watching, I want to say you guys are so strong – you have an amazing spirit. I tried to fight for Ukraine. I want to say thanks to every single person from Ukraine for standing by Ukraine.” Yastremska lost in three sets to Caroline Garcia tonight in Indian Wells.
But it is Sergiy Stakhovsky, who spoke out courageously during the Ukraine’s 2014 civil war, who has acted. The Ukrainian, who once beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon, returned from Hungary to his native land to enter the army and resist the invasion. Pictured in uniform, he recently tweeted, “Day #2 in Kyiv starts. People around me in high spirits. No one around me is ready to surrender.”
Indian Wells No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, who’s from the Russian ally Belarus, which has cooperated with Russia, said, “I feel really sad about Ukrainian citizens who lost their homes…Just really worried…We all feel very bad and very sad…It’s a tough moment for everybody. I don’t know what to say…I pray for peace, that’s it…Right now everyone is worried. No one is really happy inside our players’ area like we used to be…Sad is not the right word…We all hope for peace.”
AND NOW FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE OF NUCLEAR: In 1985 a frustrated Kevin Curren said an atomic bomb should be dropped on the US Open Flushing Meadow site. Paul Annacone said Juan Martin del Potro had a nuclear forehand. Russian Dimitry Tursonov, who long lived in Sacramento, joked that during his childhood his father was in their basement designing missiles that were aimed at America. British writer Sue Mott suggested, “The Wimbledon atmosphere has all the jubilant buzz of the change of shift at a nuclear waste disposal plant.”
BACK TO WHERE IT BELONGS: The theme of this year’s BNP Paribas Open is “Back to where it belongs.” The tourney that was canceled in 2020 and played in October 2021 in front of reduced crowds is now back in its usual early March spot. Let’s hope crowds return en masse.
THE WORST DAY OF ZVEREV’S LIFE: When Inside Tennis asked Alexander Zverev to reflect on violently smashing the umpire’s stand with his racket four times in Acapulco, he said, “It was probably the biggest mistake of my tennis career, the way that I acted and what I did…I know that apologizing is not enough. It was an embarrassment for me, it is an embarrassment for me now. Around the locker room, it is not a nice feeling. But…we all [make] mistakes. I’m also a human being.
“I can guarantee you, I will never act this way again in my life, in my career. It was definitely the worst day of my life, of my career in general. I hope people can kind of forgive me, [that] people can understand that there is a lot of mental pressure, things that are happening to us that people don’t necessarily see and that we all are humans.
“So it’s not easy for me, but I deserve it not to be easy for me right now. At the end of the day, I need to be better, to learn from it and to make sure this never happens again. And this is up to me and I will try to keep that promise to myself.”
He added, “I’ve been doing work meditation-wise…but there are situations where stuff like this happens. I’m not the first – I won’t be the last. I know who I am as a person and the people who know me know it doesn’t reflect on me in general. This was a bad moment on court.
“I did play to 5 AM the day before…I am somebody who gives his all whether it is singles or doubles…This may have gotten the best of me because I was physically tired, I was emotionally tired. But I was still competing and fighting to the last moment…It still doesn’t excuse the way I acted…I apologized, but I can’t take back what I did…What I did was incredibly bad…It was horrible but I would never have physically harmed anybody.”
Zverev said that the ATP’s ruling of a one-year probation, not a ban, was appropriate, and based on history. “If I do that again,” he conceded, “they have every right to ban me. If I do that again, that means I haven’t learned. In life everybody deserves a second chance…I will do everything I can to make that not happen.”
IMPORTANT TO HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: Coco Gauff, who spoke out for racial justice in 2019, expressed her opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was just passed in the legislature of her home state of Florida. The bill bans teaching about sexual identity in grade schools. She told Inside Tennis, “I’m against it. I think these conversations are important and for me, who has friends in the LGBQT+ community, I can’t imagine not being able to talk about your identity…That is something that’s normal…I think they have those conversations in school because that is supposed to be a safe place to be able to talk about everything…In 2019 I said it was important to have those difficult conversations [on race], and I have the same stance on this…It definitely makes a difference when you don’t have to hide who you are.”
MISSING IN ACTION: For assorted reasons, many tourneys in the COVID era have been held with diminished draws. Missing from this year’s BNP Paribas Open will be many icons, including Serena, Ash Barty, Federer, Djokovic, Venus, Stan Wawrinka, Barbora Krejcikova, Danielle Collins, Bianca Andreescu and Venus, who will likely finish her career without winning Indian Wells.
ASH’S ABSENCE: Amidst wide acclaim, Ash Barty became the first Australian woman to win the Aussie Open in 44 years. Her nation was inspired. But the WTA’s No. 1 player won’t be playing the three other biggest tourneys between the US and French Opens – the WTA Championships, Indian Wells and Miami. Ash said her body hadn’t recovered from the strain of her Aussie Open (where she didn’t lose a set).
NOLE’S OUT: Novak Djokovic won’t be playing Indian Wells or the Miami Open. Ironically, Grigor Dimitrov will be taking his place. The Bulgarian caught COVID when he played in Novak’s controversial exhibition in Serbia in 2020.
