When I was an 18-year-old, I was No. 700 with a future title, Daniil Medvedev lauds the rise of youngsters Hugo Gaston and Carlos Alcaraz

When I was an 18-year-old, I was No. 700 with a future title, Daniil Medvedev lauds the rise of youngsters Hugo Gaston and Carlos Alcaraz

Daniil Medvedev

World No.2 Daniil Medvedev is into the quarterfinals of the ongoing Paris Masters, where he will take on Hugo Gaston. While the French qualifier stunned Spanish sensation, Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion beat American Sebastian Korda in straight sets.

While Alcaraz is out of the competition, he and Gaston have impressed one and all this week in Bercy. The youngsters also managed to capture Medvedev’s attention.

Bestowing praise on the youngsters, the newly crowned US Open explained how he struggled to barely win the future tournaments as an 18-year-old.

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“When I’m thinking about Alcaraz and Gaston, I feel I’m old. When I was 18-year-old, I was no. 700 and finally won a Future,” Medvedev told the media in Paris. “What Alcaraz’s doing is incredible. Gaston is fun to watch. They’re playing late, it’s not usual for them, when I was young I struggled with that.”

The 25-year-old also added that he expects all the support to be directed towards Gaston in Paris. Knowing the Parisian crowd’s history, the World No.2 is likely to face a tricky time in the quarters.

“I know that if I’m playing vs. Hugo Gaston, the crowd will not back me and I have to deal with it. If I play vs. Alcaraz, I hope it can be 50-50,” Medvedev added.

Can Daniil Medvedev defend his title in Paris?

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev with the 2020 Paris Masters trophy

The Russian won the Bercy Masters in 2020 by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in three sets in the finals. With three more potential challenges remaining for the second seed, it remains to be seen if he can go all the way.

While he is expected to beat the French qualifier in the quarters, he could once again face Zverev or World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the final two matches of the event. The top-ranked Russian will also been keen on finishing the year as the No.1.

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Also Read: Paris Masters 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Hugo Gaston Preview, Head to head, Prediction and Live Stream