Daniil Medvedev Credits Novak Djokovic for Mentally Helping Him Before US Open 2021 Victory

Daniil Medvedev put on an amazing show at US Open 2021 as he lifted his maiden Grand Slam trophy. By defeating the World No.1, Novak Djokovic in straight sets, the Russian displayed his immense potential. In a recent interview, Medvedev claimed that Djokovic’s wise words helped him a lot mentally during his US Open run.

Djokovic talked about how defeats have made him stronger after his shocking loss at the Tokyo Olympics this year. Medvedev, who by his own admission is a huge fan of Nole, was inspired by the positive attitude from the Serb.

Daniil Medvedev credits Novak Djokovic for psychological help

Novak Djokovic suffered a surprising loss against the World No. 2, Daniil Medvedev at the Flushing Medows. Djokovic hadn’t yet lost a match at a Grand Slam in 2021 coming into the US Open final, picking up 3 titles on the way. However, in his final match, Djokovic suffered a straight-set defeat to the Russian. Recently, in an interview, Medvedev mentioned how the 20-time Grand Slam champion helped him psychologically.

Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; (L-R) Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrate with the finalist and championship trophies, respectively, after their match in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

He stated, “During the US Open, I worked a lot with a psychologist. She’s trying to help me. But Djokovic’s words after his defeat at the Olympics helped me more than those of my psychologist when he said that we could not go back in tennis, that all the defeats at the Olympics had made him stronger for the following tournaments.”

Djokovic at Olympics 2020

After winning at Wimbledon 2021, Novak Djokovic was aiming for a Golden Slam in 2021. However, Alexander Zverev stunned World No.1 and ended his dream of Golden Slam in a scintillating three-set match in the semi-finals.

Though the Serb took the first set, he crumbled in the remaining sets against Zverev. He then went on to lose against Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal match as well. After the match, he talked about the disappointment of losing out in the Olympics. According to him, the defeats have made him stronger for the upcoming challenges.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round 3 – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 28, 2021. Novak Djokovic of Serbia talks to the media after winning his third round match against Alejandro Davidovich of Spain REUTERS/Mike Segar

After his defeat against Carreno Busta, he said, “Everything happens for a reason. I know that these losses have usually made me stronger.”

Though Medvedev and Djokovic were rivals at the finals of the US Open, the appreciation for Djokovic by the Russian underlines the Serb’s brilliance.

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