Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev claims compatriot Daniil Medvedev was blocked from playing at the recent Laver Cup by the British government.
The competition took place at the O2 Arena last month as tennis legend Roger Federer bowed out from the sport in highly emotional scenes. Team Europe went on to lose the match to Team World 13-8, with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal joining forces, alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Rudd.
Medvedev was ranked No.2 in the ATP rankings at the time of the event but did not feature in London - although his compatriot Rublev claimed that he was invited to play.
Rublev also claimed that government officials indicated Medvedev would not receive permission to compete, with Russian athletes banned from sporting events in the UK since May following the invasion of Ukraine.
Asked if he had been invited to play in London, Rublev said: "No but I know that Daniil – yes. But there is also the British government, and they hinted that it probably won’t work.”
Wimbledon followed government guidelines and banned players from Russia from competing this summer with the pair missing out, alongside some high-profile names in the women's game.
The ATP and WTA subsequently stripped Wimbledon of ranking points and it remains to be seen if things will be different in 2023.
Rublev and Medvedev could face off in the final of the Astana Open, with both players progressing to the latter stages of the competition.
Rublev faces Tsitsipas for a place in the final while Medvedev will hope to make the last four with victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
