“Whenever I accomplished something, Novak always congratulated me”- Daniil Medvedev heaps praise on Djokovic
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Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev is nearing the milestone of becoming the new World No.1 and replacing Novak Djokovic, who has held the reigns for a staggering 361 weeks. If Medvedev wins the title in Acapulco, he can top the standings, regardless of the Serb’s result in Dubai.
While they may be rivals on-court, Medvedev and Djokovic share mutual respect and admiration for each other off-court. During the pre-tournament presser in Dubai, Djokovic said he would be the first person to congratulate Medvedev if the Russian pips him to become the World No.1 because he deserves it. Medvedev was asked about his opinion regarding the statement made by the 20-time Grand Slam champion during his post-match conference in Acapulco.
“He’s speaking the truth. Every time I achieved something, and not only me, we can see that for many players, Novak always congratulates everybody,” he said.
Medvedev also said players like himself and Djokovic might lose their temper in the middle of a match during heated moments as there are various circumstances that might influence it.
“To be honest, we all know sometimes, I know better than anybody, that we are all competitive. So sometimes, during the match, there can be something with fans, with the opponent, with the referee, with anything, with the balls, I don’t know, anything. And he can sometimes get really angry at some moments,” he said.
The Russian was all praise for Djokovic’s demeanor and said the Serb always congratulated not only him but other players, regardless of the result on-court.
“Whenever I accomplished something, Djokovic always congratulated me. He’s very polite to everyone. I don’t remember him saying anything bad about his opponent or not congratulating him after the match,” he added.
Medvedev nears a rematch with Nadal
Nearly a month after his heart-breaking loss to Rafael Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open, Medvedev is on course to lock horns with the Spaniard once again. Nadal and Medvedev have both progressed to the quarter-finals with dominant wins in their opening rounds in Acapulco. Should they continue their winning run in the quarter-finals, a repeat of the epic final of Melbourne awaits them in the semis.
The stakes are different this time as Nadal is looking to win his third straight title of the year and Medvedev is looking for his first, but it is a backdrop to the lucrative milestone the he can achieve with it, become the new World No.1. The Russian is guaranteed to top the standing if he wins the title at the Mexican Open and will be the first player other than the Big 3 to stand at the summit of the rankings, since Andy Murray in 2016.
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T Rushitha
(360 Articles Published)