World No.1, Novak Djokovic and Montreal Open 2019 runners-up, Daniil Medvedev set up a clash for a place in the finals of the Western and Southern Open 2019.
Daniil Medvedev compared himself with the 16-time Grand Slam champion in an interview as he revealed that he admires Novak Djokovic the most. The Russian believes that his playing style is closest to the Serb’s style.
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In an interview with ATP Tennis TV, Daniil Medvedev talked about his admiration of Novak Djokovic. Ahead of their semifinal match, the world No.8 praised Djokovic and said, “If you ask me who of the tennis players I admire the most, it’s going to be probably Novak because he’s the closest one to the style I play.”
Daniil Medvedev further explained that he is also a counter-attacking player like the 32-year-old, who does not give any room to his opponent. “I love to watch him play, to see what he does good,” the 23-year-old said. “That’s how I would describe myself also, a kind of counter-attacking player, which is really solid and doesn’t give an easy ball to his opponent.”
Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic have faced each other four times in their career with the latter leading 3-1 in their head-to-head record. However, the last time when the two squared off, the Russian won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters, back in April 2019.
Novak Djokovic also praised Daniil Medvedev ahead of their match. “He’s in form. He has a lot of confidence, not missing the ball from the back of the court. He doesn’t seem tired from that amount of matches. On the contrary, it’s serving him well,” said Djokovic.
The world No.1 believes that his semifinal match against Medvedev will not be an easy one and will also test him physically. He continued, “When you’re winning so many matches in a row, your confidence is high and you’re going for your shots. It’s going to be a tough one and I think it’s also going to be physical. I’m hoping for the best.”
