“I can’t beat an 18-year-old junior,” Daniil Medvedev opens up on his negative mindset following the poor outing in 2022 season

Medvedev shares insights into his mental struggles after a disappointing 2022 Season.

“I can’t beat an 18-year-old junior,” Daniil Medvedev opens up on his negative mindset following the poor outing in 2022 season

Daniil Medvedev (Credits: Twitter)

In just 92 days of the 2023 tennis season, Daniil Medvedev has already won four titles, equaling his personal best achieved in 2019 and 2021. However, these victories hold greater significance when considering the events of the past 18 months. Medvedev secured his fourth Masters 1000 title by beating Reilly Opelka in the final of the 2021 Canadian Open.

In September of the same year, Daniil Medvedev prevented Novak Djokovic from achieving the Golden Slam – the feat of winning all four Majors and Olympic gold in the same year – when he won his first-ever Grand Slam at the US Open. He continued his impressive form into the 2022 Australian Open, where he faced Rafael Nadal in the final. Despite being in a strong position of 6-2, 7-6, 3-2, and 0-40 up, Medvedev lost the match. The remainder of Medvedev’s season was not particularly successful, with only two titles won in Los Cabos and Vienna.

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During a recent interview with Prakash Amritraj, Medvedev shared his thoughts on how he was feeling about his poor performance in 2022. He said “Before Rotterdam I was feeling terrible. I was playing against some young guys at Mouratoglou Academy & wasn’t playing well. I told my coach ‘How do you want me to beat Korda if I can’t beat an 18 yr old junior?’ At 1 moment he was like ‘Yeah you cannot.”

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Playing in conditions that were favorable to his style of play, Medvedev claimed his fifth Masters 1000 title and his first-ever victory at the Miami tournament. With this win, he has now emerged victorious in all hardcourt Masters tournaments except for Indian Wells. Throughout his winning streak of five events, Medvedev defeated notable players such as Djokovic, Sinner (twice), Andy Murray, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev, and Zverev.

Also Read: WATCH: “It’s a real hardcourt,” Daniil Medvedev ‘Thanks’ Miami Open’s court makers after winning his fifth Masters title

Daniil Medvedev triumphs Over Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas at clay event

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Credits: Twitter)

Despite frequently using self-deprecating humor to talk about his performances on clay, Daniil Medvedev has done so again as attention turns toward the 2023 clay season. However, he recently recalled and celebrated his back-to-back victories over Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters.

As a top player for several years now, Daniil Medvedev has established himself as a specialist on hard courts, with only one tour-level singles title won on clay. During a post-tournament press conference at the Miami Open, he made a lighthearted remark about his performance on clay, noting that he had previously beaten Djokovic and Tsitsipas at the same clay tournament, which he found impressive given his track record on that surface.

During a press conference following the Miami Open, Daniil Medvedev made a humorous remark regarding his performance on clay, citing a previous occasion where he defeated both Djokovic and Tsitsipas in the same clay tournament, which he found impressive given his limited success on that surface. Specifically, at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters, Medvedev won against Tsitsipas in the third round and Djokovic in the quarterfinals, with both matches going to three sets. However, he ultimately lost to Dusan Lajovic in the semifinals.

“Talking about clay, again, I know that I can play well on clay. I beat Novak once on clay. I actually beat Tsitsipas and Novak at the same tournament once, wow. That’s pretty good achievement on clay,” Daniil Medvedev said. Although he acknowledges that clay is a challenging surface for him, the 27-year-old remained positive about his ability to enhance his performance on the red dirt in the upcoming days.

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