Daniil Medvedev on "Big Three": "I wouldn't be surprised if you win everything this year"
Daniil Medvedev was at the top of the world with excellent performances from October to November last year. Now the 24-year-old talks to marca.com about the dominance of the "Big Three", his behavior on the court and the Olympic Games.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 13, 2020, 08:12 am
They were incredible weeks that the young Russian, Daniil Medvedev, spent the previous year from August to October. During this time, the 24-year-old competed in six tournaments, and in all six he was also in the final. The highlight for Medvedev was certainly the US Open, to which he traveled from Cincinnati as a new ATP Masters 1000 champion. And in New York, too, the Russian played in a run, eliminated Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov, among others, and faced Rafael Nadal in the final. In this, however, the Spaniard already looked like the sure winner when he broke to 3-2 in the third set. But Daniil Medvedev impressively showed why he was so difficult to defeat in the weeks before, struggled back to this game - only to draw the short end after four hours and 53 minutes.
None of the young guards before him was as close as Daniil Medvedev to winning against a Big Three player in a Grand Slam final. At the next major, this time in Down Under, it was the challenger, Dominic Thiem, who was close to a win, but ultimately had to surrender to Novak Djokovic's class. Sometimes the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic remains. Daniil Medvedev is far from convinced that this will end soon: "Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have won many titles in a row, I would not be surprised if they also win all titles in 2020 (note: Grand Slam title)" , says the Russian in an interview with marca.com .
Medvedev: Also top 20 players capable of Grand Slam victory
"They are incredible and know what to do at all times. The quality of the balls you get from them makes everything a lot more difficult. When you compete against them, you cannot expect free points. It is true that it is easier is to defeat them in three sets than in five, "continued the 24-year-old. The Russian sees the field that could win a major title behind the top 3 surprisingly broad: "In fact, I even believe that a top 20 player would be able to win a Grand Slam, even if they did Disadvantage of a more difficult draw. "
Not everyone likes the way Daniil Medvedev presents himself on the square. At the US Open, the Russian's appearances were always accompanied by whistles. After his third round duel in New York, he showed him that this did not bother the seven-time ATP Tour title holder, on the contrary, rather spurred him on: "Thank you. Your energy brought me victory," said Medvedev provocatively in Towards the audience. According to the Russian, what many do not like is part of his character: "I try to be myself on and off the court. Sometimes this is interpreted negatively, sometimes the other way round. It is up to the viewers to decide whether they like it or not not, "Medvedev told the Spanish newspaper.
Good times for Russian tennis
Not only thanks to Daniil Medvedev, Russian tennis is currently experiencing a boom. Andrey Rublev has already won two titles in calendar year 2020, and Karen Khachanov also knows what it feels like to triumph at the ATP Masters 1000 level. Achieving something similar to the golden Russian generation with Marat Safin, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mikhail Youzhny would make Daniil Medvedev very happy: "Hopefully we can compare ourselves to them at some point, because that means that we won Grand Slam and Olympic medals. The most reassuring thing would be if children in Russia would like to play tennis thanks to us. We fight for ourselves every day and to represent our country. "
This means that Russian tennis athletes are serious candidates for a medal even at the Olympic Games. There they have to play under the neutral flag due to the doping scandal in Russia. A fact that makes Daniil Medvedev sad: "I understand that it was not an easy decision, but I would like to play under my flag in Japan. There are still a few months left and we will see what happens in the end when we are in July play there. " One thing is certain, however, the path to Olympic gold in Tokyo will also be via the "Big Three".