the russian Daniel Medvedevnumber 1 in the ATP world ranking, this Tuesday made sure to recognize the Spaniards Rafael Nadalhighest winner of Grand Slam tournaments (22), the fair word would be “spectacular”.
“To meet Rafa, I have one word, amazing. He is an amazing fighter, an amazing fighter and an amazing person, with great mental strength,” the winner of US Open 2021who is in Mexico to play with Los Cabos is openATP 250 tournament on hard courts.
Last January, the man from Manaco became the first tennis player to win more than 20 major tournaments, and he did it by defeating Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open. Referring to that, Daniil explained that of course he wanted to win, but outside of that excitement, he thought it was great that Nadal made his record.
“It was a great match; at Roland Garros he increased his Grand Slam titles to 22 and I’m happy, because I’m happy with Nole (Novak Djokovic)when he made 21 at Wimbledom,” he insisted.
Although he was the great figure in Los Cabos, Medvedev acted like any other player, even agreeing to follow an interview with a television channel when it rained and the journalist stopped him out of respect for the champion.
Medvedev acknowledged that being number 1 doesn’t stop him from enjoying tennis like he did when he was younger, although he does it differently because wins and losses stir emotions.
“Sometimes it’s not easy to enjoy; there are good games, bad games, but you can achieve,” he explained.
Los Cabos is for Medvedev at the start of the tour before defending his US Open title; this week he will try for his first title of the season in the Mexican tournament and then he will look to perform well in Montreal and Cincinnati Masters 1,000 to reach the main goal in its best form.
“It’s hard to compare my athletic form now to last year at this point because every year on tour something changes. My body changes, as well as my tennis; 2021 is good and I’m confident that I’m starting the best part of my season,” he said.
If he beats the Australian this Wednesday Rinki Hijika, racket number 224 in the world, Daniil will add his 250th victory as a professional. Referring to that, he acknowledged that the best of all was the final against Djokovic last year at the US Open as it gave him his first Slam title.
“It’s pretty obvious; that’s what I remember the most. There were two more wins that I really appreciate, against Rafa in the London 2020 ATP Finals semi-final and a few hours later against Dominic Thiem, Eventually. In both matches I was down, on match point against Nadal and I played good tennis in the third set,” he said.
Medvedev defended the idea of maintaining an attitude of humility on the tour and acknowledged that there are always things to improve because otherwise setbacks will come.
“One must propose to be better every day, work hard. If you stop, everything will end; I don’t think I have obsessions as a player, but if I have one it is to train hard,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
