“Until he says I quit,” Rafael Nadal always a danger for opponents says Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev praise Rafael Nadal even though he is out of action due to injuries.

“Until he says I quit,” Rafael Nadal always a danger for opponents says Daniil Medvedev

Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev (Image Credit: EuroSport)

Daniil Medvedev is on a winning spree. He left behind the disappointment of the 2022 season to embark on the journey into the 2023 season. His spirit, resilience and hardwork has helped him to remain both influential and important on the Tour. The current World No.6 has won three ATP titles which includes- ATP Rotterdam Open, Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.

In a recent interview on the sidelines of the Indian Wells Open 2023, he talked on many issues related to tennis and the ATP tour. He also shed his thoughts on his contemporaries on the tour. This includes Rafael Nadal.

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He believes the Spaniard is still very dangerous despite being out of form and struggling with fitness issues. However, he does not wish for Rafael Nadal to retire anytime soon. He also believes that the 36-year old will be eager for another French Open title.

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“No, of course I want to see it. It hasn’t been easy for him lately. Everybody knows. He will return on clay and we will see what he is capable of. He always showed, especially at Roland Garros, that he is capable of anything. I don’t think he has to prove to anyone that he is capable of great things. So I’m sure of that until the moment he comes out and says, ‘OK, I’m out’,” he said.

“We already saw this with bigger players, who came back and kept winning. So you have to wait. But until now he can win any tournament he plays. That’s Rafael. It was the same for Roger ( Federer ), Novak ( Djokovic ), Andy ( Murray )… Until the moment he says: ‘I’ll quit’, Rafa is dangerous for everyone,” he continued.

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Daniil Medvedev’s coach weighed his chances in the sunshine doubles

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Daniil Medvedev and Gilles Cervara (Image Credit: USOpen.org)

The Russian loves to play on the hard court. He won the US Open in 2021 and reached the final of the Australian Open twice in his career. However, he does struggle in the ATP Masters tournaments in USA. He has never won the Indian Wells Open and reached only the quarter-final round of the Miami Open in his career.

Gilles Cervara, current coach of Daniil Medvedev shed his insights on the reasons for abysmal performance of the former World No.1 in the two tournaments.

“Playing in Indian Wells is very specific with the surface, the heat, the cold, the dryness, the balls… Miami is something else, but there’s no reason he can’t play well there. In the past, his approach to the playing conditions and how he feels about his tennis at the moment has brought his level down,” he said.

However, he is hopeful that his protégé would be successful this time around.

“He’s never won Indian Wells and Miami even though he’s a true hard court specialist. He hasn’t won a major title since the 2021 US Open. From a distance, you can imagine him being very ambitious before the Sunshine Tour,” he continued.

Daniil Medvedev will start his campaign in the Indian Wells Open by playing against Brandon Nakashima in his first-round fixture of the tournament.

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