By winning the new title in Paris, Novak Djokovic won numerous sympathies, but also earned the compliments of his great rival – DaniIl Medvedev.
Medvedev says that he felt a great desire for Novak Djokovic to win the final of the Masters in Paris.
During the conversation with the journalists, it was stated that some expected that Novak could be mentally shaken after the defeat by Medvedev in the final of the US Open, but the Russian did not think so.
– It is impossible to have a psychological advantage over Djokovic. I think the same can be said for me. In the previous weeks, I lost to Dimitrov, Rublev and Novak. The next time I play with them, there is no need to ask if I am shaken. Now I knew that Novak would want a rematch, even though they are not the same matches, the stakes are not the same – says Medvedev and adds:
– I felt that he wanted to win at any cost, and that is the essence of the competition. If we play an exhibition, if they don’t tell you before that it’s all just a show, I guarantee that 95 out of 100 players would do their best to win. It is tennis, it is a competitive spirit, I want to win even when I play playstation – said the Russian tennis player.
But the words of praise were not spared even by the seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin, who says that Novak Djokovic delights her with his competitive spirit.
– And if there are, of course, many people who respect his career, I think it is high time for people to understand what he is achieving. You may like Novak Djokovic, you may not like him – there are many people who do not like his character – but what he is doing in his career is amazing – said Henin and added:
– There are not many who can return like that (after failure) like him. Remember a year ago after the US Open and disqualification, we thought he would be wounded, and he was there in spite of everything, even though he lost the Roland Garros final. After that, he started again, winning the Australian Open.
As he says, the defeat in New York came in handy.
– I think that the defeat this year in New York was simply necessary for Novak Djokovic to breathe, to recover, to show himself that he is a bit of a man. After all, he may never have been so loved as when he lost that final.
However, Henin believes that Djokovic is hungry for success and will not stop here.
– After the US Open, we could ask ourselves ‘what now with Novak Djokovic?’, But he is still eager for success. There are still records that can be broken and as long as that is the case, Djokovic will compete – says Henin and adds:
– There was a lot of pressure even now, but he was relaxed in the finish of the finals, he was able to relax and win the title – the former tennis player pointed out.
