Daniil Medvedev was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the Masters final in Paris, but he had only words of praise for his rival and great friend.
Even before the start of the tournament, Medvedev pointed out that he sees the Serbian player as a friend, which is a rare occurrence in the world of tennis, and after losing the final, he added more words.
- Congratulations to Novak. I really wanted to win. Great match, bravo Novak. Thanks to the team that supported me all week. I know that some in the audience cheered for me, some of them were against, but thank everyone who was there – Medvedev said immediately after the match.
He could have the opportunity for a potential rematch at the Final Masters in Turin, which starts on November 14.
Until then, Medvedev also had a message for “haters”.
- Sometimes I think Novak Djokovic is not in the same context as Nadal and Federer. If the ‘haters’ do not start noticing what he has done and what he will do… Maybe ten years after he retires, that will be the case – says Medvedev, and adds:
- New players will read articles on Wikipedia and see that Novak’s name is everywhere. That was the case with me and Sampras – I was too small to watch it, but I read how amazing is he – Daniil pointed out.
The Russian tennis player then referred to the match itself.
- I need more time to think about the match. There was not a single moment in the match in which there was a turnaround. Clearly, I could have served better, I could have played some key points better as well. It was good tennis, and he was a little better. He coped better in the decisive moments of the second and third sets. I played those points better in the first set – says Medvedev and adds:
- I think that’s it. I played a good duel against one of the best in history. I know that Novak wanted revenge, and everyone is aware that we cannot influence Novak’s mind. I want to be like that with other rivals – said Danil.
