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Medvedev moans Ukranian criticizes Wimbledon after loss in Paris
Posted: Monday June 05, 2000 04:39 PM
PARIS (AP) -- Andrei Medvedev did not rage about his rain-soaked defeat Monday at the French Open. He saved his ire for Wimbledon, saying he's frustrated by the way players are treated there. Medvedev, among the wittiest and most candid players on the men's tour, said he's not looking forward to the next Grand Slam beginning June 26. "They make exceptions for some players, and for the rest they treat them like dirt," said Medvedev, whose best performance at Wimbledon was reaching the fourth round in 1994. "My opinion is that they only care about players who play on Court 1, Center Court, maybe Court 2. That's simply unacceptable," he said. After losing Monday in the fourth round to Magnus Norman, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2, Medvedev slammed the grass court tournament. "People treat you bad there. There is practically no motivation to play Wimbledon whatsoever," Medvedev said. To illustrate his point, last year's French Open finalist told how his masseur had to sneak past a security guard because he did not have a pass to enter the locker room. "You go there and you say, 'Can I have a badge for my coach and masseur?' They say, 'No. You can only have one badge.' They're like, 'Oh, you were in the final of the French Open. You should get two badges, but you can't. I'm sorry.'" Wimbledon is revered by many in tennis for its rich history, but Medvedev described it as "a snobbish English club with their own rules and their own traditions." He said officials played favorites with more successful players when allocating time on practice courts. "Why should they be treated different on the practice courts? Why should they get more advantage than us? How are we supposed to beat them?" he said. "Maybe the other guys see it as the greatest tournament in the world. Not me. The surface is bad," he said. "It is just unfortunate that the ATP made the rule that everybody has to play it. Normally, I would take two weeks off and get ready for something more serious." Medvedev said Wimbledon was alone in treating players so badly. "Here they treat you like gods. Australian Open, we get everything we want. U.S. Open too," he said. But with the charm of a practiced provocateur, Medvedev included a disclaimer in his diatribe. "I'm only expressing my own opinion. I don't want you to believe it," he told journalists. "If you like it, write it. If you don't forget it."
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