WATCH: Novak Djokovic Stuns Daniil Medvedev During Practice Ahead of Rolex Paris Masters 2021

If there’s a rivalry that has the potential to turn legendary in the coming years in men’s tennis, it has to be the encounters between the two top seeds Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. The duo had met nine times on the ATP tour so far, with the Serb slightly ahead of Medvedev with five victories.

The Russian was responsible in stopping Djokovic from claiming the Calendar Slam at this year’s US Open. The world no.1 entered the championship match as a huge favorite but felt the nerves throughout the match that resulted in his defeat.

Medvedev always maintained huge respect and admiration for Djokovic and showed the same during his winners’ speech in New York. More than a month later, the duo might play against each other at the upcoming Paris Masters event.

Novak Djokovic stuns Daniil Medvedev with an amazing volley during practice session

What makes the last Masters tournament of the year interesting is the fact that both Djokovic and Medvedev are fighting for the year-end no.1 race, with the latter having a clear advantage over the former.

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

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Ahead of the event, both the players were seen practicing at the Mouratoglou tennis academy.

The academy’s twitter account shared a brief clip of one of the rallies between the two stars where Djokovic was seen running towards the net to hit a volley as Medvedev watched in disbelief to see that shot land in.

Just Novak things…@DaniilMedwed couldn’t believe @DjokerNole made that one pic.twitter.com/e3fUAVFFWG

— Mouratoglou Tennis Academy (@MouratoglouAcad) October 29, 2021

Djokovic’s flexibility on a tennis court is always on a high wherever he plays. The Serb always makes sure to keep the ball in play and goes to any extent to do the same. It’s this strategy that gave him more chances to take control over his opponent and win matches.

Medvedev and Djokovic are fighting for the year-end no.1 spot

Even Medvedev likes to stay in a point as long as possible and likes to extract more errors from the opponents. Maybe it’s the similarities in their playing style that made Djokovic and Medvedev share a special relationship on and off the court over the past few years.

Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 21, 2021 Tournament winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia and runner up Daniil Medvedev of Russia holding their trophies after their final match REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

Coming to the Paris Masters, Djokovic announced earlier this month about his decision to play the event as well as the year-end championships in Turin and thus made his intentions clear regarding the no.1 spot.

On the other hand, Daniil Medvedev will have to defend both Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals in Turin to get past Djokovic in the rankings. The last two tournaments of this year’s ATP season have a solid premise to entertain fans across the world.

Also read: WATCH: Novak Djokovic Makes Young Fans Happy at Serena Williams’ Coach’s Tennis Academy

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