It was the year 2017. Serbia was due to face Russia in the Davis Cup World Group 1st round match. The tie was a special one as it was the beginning of the rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. Although Medvedev had to retire in his match against Djokovic, it was a memorable experience for him. Years later, the Russian star reminisced about that moment as Djokovic was kind to him. This comes amidst criticism surrounding Djokovic over his remarks about Ben Shelton.

Medvedev is in Australia where he’s participating in the Grand Slam Down Under. He has reached the fourth round of the tournament and will play his match against Nuno Borges tomorrow. Here’s what he said about Djokovic.

Daniil Medvedev reminisces about a special moment with Novak Djokovic

Over the past few years, Medvedev and Djokovic have had many fierce encounters. Despite their strong rivalry, the two maintain a healthy relationship on and off the court. Recently, Medvedev pointed out how it all started.

DIVE DEEPER: Ben Shelton Proves To Be the Bigger Man in Nasty Novak Djokovic Controversy As He Issues Classic Response

During an interview at the Australian Open, Medvedev said, “We were at practice, and Novak said ‘ah, we play Davis Cup together in a couple of days, are you going?’ I said ‘Yeah, I’m going’, to which Novak replied ‘When are you leaving?’, and I said ‘Saturday’. Novak said ‘You wanna come with me [on my plane]’ and I’m a pretty shy person, so, at first, I said ‘no, no.'”

Further, he went on to add, “When the practice with Novak finished, I was like ‘really Novak, I can come with you?’, and he said ‘Yeah, of course’. That’s what some people don’t know about Novak, ok he can be tough on the court, just like me, but when I met him the first time I was World #400, now I am #3, and I was #1, and he always has treated me the same. I became more of a rival, but the treatment off-court was the same.”

Despite these remarks by Medvedev, Djokovic has been embroiled in a controversy at the ongoing Australian Open. His recent remarks about Ben Shelton by taking Roger Federer into the picture haven’t been taken down well in the tennis world.

What did Djokovic say about Ben Shelton?

The two have had quite an eventful past with each other. While Djokovic got the better of Shelton at the US Open last year, he even copied his controversial ‘dial in’ celebration. And now, Djokovic has sparked further controversy with remarks about the American tennis sensation.

He said that he never lacked respect for his opponents despite them not liking him. Further, he even went on to give Roger Federer’s example and took a jibe at Shelton.

Djokovic’s comments went viral on social media and thousands of fans slammed him. While Shelton and Djokovic were due to face each other at the Australian Open, the former’s early defeat ended hopes for their clash as he went down fighting against France’s Adrian Mannarino.

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