Russia-Ukraine war LIVE UPDATES: Zelensky calls on Russian troops to surrender – The Australian Financial Review

Daniil Medvedevs reign as the No. 1 mens tennis player will not last long at least, not this time.

The 26-year-old Russian took over the top spot for the first time in his career last week from Novak Djokovic, but his third-round loss to Gael Monfils on Monday will allow Djokovic to reclaim the No. 1 ranking next week.

Daniil Medvedev has lost his world No.1 ranking.Getty Images

Djokovic will ascend even though he was unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open because of the vaccination requirement for non-American visitors to the United States.

Medvedev, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, did make the journey to California, although some of his peers believe he also should not have been allowed to compete at Indian Wells because of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Russian athletes have been banned from most international team competitions and some individual events, including World Cup competitions in biathlon and skiing and the recently concluded Beijing Winter Paralympics.

Marta Kostyuk, a rising Ukrainian star, said at Indian Wells that she did not think Russian tennis players such as Medvedev should be allowed to compete. But after a lengthy debate, tennis governing bodies have decided to preserve players rights to compete individually as neutrals while banning Russia and Belarus, its ally, from team events such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.

Medvedev is grateful to keep his job, but is all too aware that these are fluid, deeply sensitive circumstances. First of all, its definitely not for me to decide, he said. I follow the rules. I cannot do anything else. Right now, the rule is that we can play under our neutral flag.

But the war certainly changes the optics of matches like Mondays.

Monfils, a Frenchman, recently married Elina Svitolina, Ukraines biggest tennis star, who was watching from his player box on Monday as the Ukrainian flag flapped in the breeze in its new place of honour on top of the main stadium at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The flag was installed there this year next to the American one in a show of support for Ukraine.

Monfils, ranked No. 28 at age 35, said he did not view Mondays match or his surprising 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory through a political lens, but a personal one.

Im not very political in general, he said in French. Im a support for my wife. A sad thing has come to her country. I try to do the maximum to support her in whatever she chooses to do, but today we were here for playing. Im simply happy to have won my match.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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Russia-Ukraine war LIVE UPDATES: Zelensky calls on Russian troops to surrender - The Australian Financial Review