WHY DANIIL MEDVEDEV RETURNED TO ST. PETERSBURG FOR CONTROVERSIAL TENNIS EVENT.
Daniil Medvedev is competing in the controversial Northern Palmyra Trophies exhibition. He cites a desire to win, see St. Petersburg, and entertain the home crowd.
Daniil Medvedev says he has many reasons for playing in a Russian exhibition that's been controversial since it began in 2022.
The Northern Palmyra Trophies started in St. Petersburg three years ago, after Russia lost its ATP and WTA events due to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The event, held in late November and December since 2022, has drawn some big names from both men's and women's tennis, both from Russia and other countries.
Even though Russian and Belarusian players weren't banned from tennis and could still play as neutrals, this St. Petersburg exhibition has caused controversy.
The Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, which is believed to be funding Russia's war efforts, funds and sponsors the event.
Adrian Mannarino from France and Roberto Bautista Agut from Spain have been criticised for playing in past years, and Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands is playing this year.
While Alexander Bublik is also playing in 2025, Medvedev's presence has gotten the most attention.
Medvedev, 29, is one of Russia's best tennis players ever and one of only three Russian men to reach world No. 1.
He won the 2021 US Open and is still a major figure in men's tennis, finishing the year ranked 13th.
He has stated his distance from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and hadn't played in this event before 2025, but he's playing matches against Griekspoor and Bublik this year.
Speaking to Match TV before the event started, Medvedev explained his decision to play.
There are many reasons, Medvedev said.
I haven’t been to St. Petersburg since 2020. I’m happy to be back—it’s one of the most beautiful cities, if not the most beautiful.
“I’ll try to play my best, even though it's just an exhibition. I prepared like it was a Grand Slam, especially for the singles matches against Griekspoor and Bublik, because I lost to them this year.
“Yes, it's not official, but I’ll try to win. I want to play well and entertain the crowd.”
Besides Medvedev, Bublik, and Griekspoor, WTA players like Anastasia Potapova, Diana Shnaider, and Veronika Kudermetova are also participating.
SUSPENDED: WHEN EMMA RADUCANU WILL RESUME HER DELAYED MATCH AGAINST CAMILA OSORIO
Emma Raducanu’s Hobart debut is delayed by rain! Leading 6-3, 2-4 against Camila Osorio, see the new Wednesday schedule here.
Emma Raducanu came into the Hobart International on Tuesday looking for her first win of 2026, but the weather had other plans.
She’d lost her last four matches, so getting a wildcard draw against Camila Osorio seemed like the perfect chance to turn things around. Raducanu, the top seed in Hobart, started strong and took the first set with authority. Osorio didn’t just roll over, though—she fought back and grabbed the lead in the second set.
Just as the match started to heat up, rain swept in. They’d gotten as far as 6-2, 2-4 in Raducanu’s favour when organisers called it for the night.
The weather had mostly played along earlier in the day. Stearns, Maria, and Wang Xinyu all managed to collect wins before the clouds really opened up. But by the time Raducanu and Osorio were on court, the rain was relentless. Organisers had no choice but to push their match, and the last one of the day—Selekhmeteva vs. Linette—to Wednesday.
It’s not looking much better for Wednesday, either. The forecast calls for more rain, so delays could keep piling up. Still, as of now, Raducanu and Osorio are set to finish their match as the second game on Centre Court, after Sramkova takes on local wildcard Taylah Preston. Play kicks off at noon local time (that’s 1 am in the UK, or 8 pm Tuesday on the US East Coast). Raducanu and Osorio won’t get going again before 2 pm local time.
Whoever wins faces Magdalena Frech in round two.
But here’s the thing—the rain delay could mean a packed schedule for whoever comes out on top. The second-round match against the French won't be played on Wednesday, so at least there's a bit of breathing room. After that, though, the winner might have to squeeze in round two, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the final in just three days.
The Hobart final always lands on Saturday, which gives the finalists a sliver of time to head over to Melbourne for the Australian Open. That kicks off on Sunday, January 18—just a day later. Not much of a break, honestly.
SINCARAZ UNITED: CARLOS ALCARAZ AND JANNIK SINNER TEASE A SHOCK 2026 DOUBLES TEAM-UP FOR FANS
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Jannik Sinner confirm they are open to a "surprise" doubles pairing in 2026. Get the details.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner aren’t just fierce rivals—they’re friends, too. Even though they’re at the top of the ATP rankings, first and second, they get along really well. Lately, people have started asking if they’ll ever play doubles together.
These two have become the main guys in men’s tennis. They’ve already played each other 16 times, and six of those matches happened after May 2025. They’ve faced off in the last three Grand Slam finals, with Alcaraz winning 10 out of those 16. When Sinner beat Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh last October, they both talked about how strong their friendship is, even though they’re always battling on court.
Sinner said, “It’s nice to have a great rivalry and, more importantly, a great friendship off the court. We have a very special friendship, and it’s very nice.”
Alcaraz agreed. “People think when two tennis players are competing for big things, giving their best, they can’t have a great friendship off the court. But I think we’ve shown it’s possible.”
Just last week in Incheon, South Korea, they played again—Alcaraz won a tight exhibition, 7-5, 7-6(6). At a press conference there, someone asked Alcaraz if he’d ever play doubles with Sinner.
“Of course,” Alcaraz said. “But, you know, we’re so focused on singles that it’s tough. If you go deep in singles, you don’t really have time to recover if you’re also playing doubles. But for one tournament? That would be awesome. We’ll talk about it. Maybe this year, maybe next. It’ll be a surprise.”
Sinner, sitting next to him, jumped in: “Yeah, I agree. We’ve never actually talked about it, but it’d be fun—just once—to play on the same side of the net. Again, the singles schedule makes it hard, but we’ll see. Maybe it’ll happen soon.”
Honestly, if these two team up for doubles, fans will lose their minds. Watching the top two players in the world join forces would be something special. Let’s see if they actually pull it off.