Daniil Medvedev says Novak Djokovic has proved all his critics wrong by creating a legacy as big as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
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Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev, currently ranked 5th in the world, is one of the most candid players on the Tour. Be it a press conference, on-court interviews, or even during the match, the Russian does not shy away from speaking his mind anywhere,
The 2020 ATP Finals champion has made it to the year-end championships once again looking for his second title. Medvedev fell a step before a successful title defense last year losing to Alexander Zverev in the finals. This year, the Russian is seeded 4th as he eyes his second title at the event.
In a unique interview arranged by the ATP Tour, the players answered the questions in front of their colleagues. During one such question, Medvedev was asked about his views on the Big 3 and his admiration towards the trio.
“I already felt that Roger, Rafa, and Novak they’re just the best tennis players of all time About Novak, when he just came on the Tour, everybody was like, this young guy, he’ not going to achieve much comparing to Roger and Rafa. He proved everybody wrong and so that’s what I admire and that’s why they are the best champions that ever existed,” said Medvedev.
Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic drafted into the same group
While Medvedev is looking for his second title, Novak Djokovic comes on the lookout for a record-equalling 6th title at the ATP Finals. Djokovic was a big favorite last year but lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Zverev who won in over 3-sets.
This year, the Russian and the Serb are both in the same group, the Red Group, eliciting a plethora of reactions online. Last year, the two were the top seeds, but the situation is different right now. Medvedev is the 5th seed this year while Djokovic is the 7th seed this year owing to the drop in their respective rankings this year.
Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas also joined Medvedev and Djokovic, making the group comparatively more difficult than the Green Group. Djokovic and Medvedev have developed a good rivalry and friendship on the Tour and the imminent group-stage clash will be just their second match this year.
They met in the semi-finals of the Astana Open this year when Medvedev had to retire mid-match, much to the surprise of Djokovic. The two had just finished their second set tiebreaker that was won by Djokovic, but Medvedev retired before the third set. While the Serb was certainly shocked at the moment, it is safe to assume there were no hard feelings between the duo.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)