Daniil Medvedev Gives a Fitting Response to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer Comparisons

Having played consistent tennis this year at the year-end championships in Turin, world no.2 Daniil Medvedev found himself in a perplexed position against Alexander Zverev in the final. The duo, who met four times this year, have managed to register their rivalry in the minds of tennis fans for 2022.

Medvedev, who defeated the German during the round-robin stage at ATP Finals in Turin, couldn’t match up with the baseline aggression from his opponent today. Add this to the fact that Zverev never faced a break-point, which shows that he had a good day as far as his service is concerned.

Post the final, the Russian talked about several aspects that includes how their generation(Zverev, Tsitsipas, etc.,) would be remembered against the likes of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

Daniil Medvedev puts on his ‘practical’ hat when asked about Next-Gen impact

“I don’t see why our generation would miss on something. Of course, maybe we don’t win 20 Grand Slams, yet nobody did before Roger, Rafa and Novak, so they were also worse than them, if we can say like this. It’s definitely not going to be a shame“, shared Medvedev.

#Medvedev: “I don’t see why our generation would miss on something. Of course, maybe we don’t win 20 Grand Slams, yet nobody did before Roger, Rafa and Novak, so they were also worse than them, if we can say like this. It’s definitely not going to be a shame”. pic.twitter.com/ddxWv65xi5

— Lorenzo Ercoli (@Ladal17) November 21, 2021

Medvedev clinched his first-ever Grand Slam title at the US Open this September after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. This victory reminded the tennis world that the Big-3 will have to face stiff competition from the likes of Tsitsipas, Medvedev, and others next year.

Looking at Medvedev’s quotes over the Next-Gen’s impact, it has to be remembered that they had to play tennis in the same generation as the Big-3, who, arguably will be considered the three best players to have ever graced a tennis court.

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Andy Murray of Great Britain, Novak Djokovic of Siberia, Roger Federer of Switzerland and Rafael Nadal of Spain attend a ceremony for Carlos Moya’s retirement during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 21, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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Players like Medvedev and Tsitsipas found a way past Big-3 at Masters events

The likes of Medvedev and others managed to stun Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic at several Masters 1000 events but failed to repeat the same feat in Grand Slams. However, with the absence of Nadal and Federer this year in New York, it was a perfect opportunity for one of these youngsters to clinch the title.

It was the Russian who took the lead by defeating Djokovic in the championship match. Since the US Open, the top two men’s singles players faced each other in the finals of Paris Masters, where the Serb avenged his New York defeat.

Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev congratulates Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on winning the final match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Even at the year-end championships, the duo is expected to meet in the final. But, Alexander Zverev had different plans as he outlasted both of them in the semis and the finals respectively.

With the German ending the year on a high, the 2022 ATP tour becomes an enthralling season to follow, especially during the Grand Slams.

Also read: WATCH: Novak Djokovic Emulates Rafael Nadal’s Creative Drill to Enhance Reflexes

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