“Most memorable year” Daniil Medvedev named Russia’s Athlete of the Year for the 3rd consecutive year
Follow Us
Daniil Medvedev
World No. 2 on the ATP Tour, Daniil Medvedev continues to yield the success of his hard work during the 2021 season. The Russian who reached his career-high ranking of World No. 2 in March 2021, also went on to win his first-ever Grand Slam title in his 3rd finals appearance of a major.
After having suffered a defeat in the finals of the 2021 Australian Open at the hands of the defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Medvedev defeated the Serbian in the finals of the 2021 US Open in straight-sets, winning his first Grand Slam while also denying Djokovic the chance to win the Calendar Slam, as he had won the first 3 Slams of the season before reaching the finals in New York.
The Sport Express Russia is the biggest-selling sports newspaper in the country and the journalists vote in for the best athlete of the year. Like the previous two years, the journalists voted Medvedev as the Athlete of the Year for his performances in the 2021 season, crowning him with the honour for the 3rd year in a row.
“All the seasons in my career have been special in their own way and have led to something greater. I accumulated winning experience, progressed, looked for my own style. Undoubtedly, due to the victory at the US Open, 2021 is the most memorable year, but I will never forget the rest of my career,” said Medvedev on receiving the award.
“The US Open final stands out” says Daniil Medvedev on his most memorable win
Further speaking in the interview, Medvedev narrowed down his most memorable win and his most painful loss as well. Medvedev had a season record of 63-13 with titles at the Marseille Open, the Mallorca Championships (his first career Grass title), the Toronto Masters and finally at the US Open. He also had 3 runners-up finishes, the Australian Open, the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals.
“I will single out the loss at the Olympics. I really wanted to take a medal in Tokyo, so it was very disappointing to be eliminated in the quarterfinals,” said Medvedev when asked about his most painful defeat. The Russian lost to eventual bronze medallist Pablo Carreno Busta in straight-sets.
Speaking on his most memorable win, Medvedev said, “There were many cool victories, but the meeting with Novak in the US Open final stands out. First, I played cool. Secondly, it was the most important fight of the year for me. Perhaps there were matches where I acted even stronger, but this did not stick into my memory.”
With twin victories for Russia at the 2021 ATP Cup and the 2021 Davis Cup, Medvedev had a wonderful season in 2021 and will be looking to have a similar if not better season in 2022.
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)