Why is the flag of Russia not displayed next to Daniil Medvedev's name at US Open 2024? All you need to know

Daniil Medvedev is back at the 2024 US Open, his most successful Grand Slam. He won the title in 2021, reached the final in 2019 and 2023, and the semifinal in 2020. The former World No. 1 has reached the fourth round at the 2024 edition as well. However, he is not playing under any flag. Hailing from Russia, the Russian tri-color is not displayed next to his name at the 2024 US Open.

This is due to a decision taken by ITF in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, ITF ruled that Russian and Belarusian players were not allowed to compete under their respective flags.

The statement read:

"Players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events as individuals. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice."

Apart from this, the ITF also suspended the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarusian Tennis Federation from all team events like Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup.

Ahead of the 2024 US Open, a glitch in the 'results system' on the tournament's website showed flags for Belarusian and Russian players, but the glitch was later fixed. This glitch was visible only to professional organizations and media. The error occurred due to an employee selecting the wrong file, according to a USTA spokesperson.

Daniil Medvedev on playing without his national flag: "Always tough to talk on this subject"

Daniil Medvedev hails from Russia (Image: Getty)

Daniil Medvedev talked about how it felt to play without a national flag in an interview with Tennis Channel in 2022. The Russian ascended to the top spot in the ATP rankings in 2022 but remained without the Russian tricolor.

Talking about the decision of ITF, he said it was always "tough" to talk about this subject.

"It's always tough to talk on this subject because I want to play tennis, play in different countries. I want to promote my sport, I want to promote what I'm doing in my country for sure," Daniil Medvedev said.

Medvedev also talked about Russians and Bearusins being removed from team competitions and said that he wanted to continue playing without any more restrictions:

"Some sports made this decision, especially, I would think, the team sports. Tennis is probably one of the most individual sports we have in the world. There's always a possibility, but I hope not."

He also reiterated his demand for peace and accepted that he would have to play without a national flag for a foreseeable period.