When Daniil Medvedev hit the winning shot in the 2024 Australian Open semi-final, it was more than just a victory. While it was an impressive feat to overcome a two-set deficit to win it all, the Russian’s style of play reminded many of why he is dubbed ‘The Octopus’. As surprising as it might sound, Medvedev is well-known in the circuit for his playing style which highly resembles that of the sea creature. Squaring off against Alexander Zverev in the semis, Medvedev showed his octopus-like play to power through the sets. 

Now, for the unknown, it might be baffling how someone with two hands can resemble an eight-legged creature. So how did this nickname get associated with Medvedev? Who was the first one to call him so? 

Daniil Medvedev and his ‘Octopus’ persona

It all started back in 2021 when this moniker was given to the Russian by Andrey Rublev. The tennis star referred to his compatriot by calling him the ‘octopus’ while in the middle of a press conference at the Laver Cup, held in Boston. The main motive behind calling him by this name was Medvedev’s exceptional court coverage. He exhibits significant nimble footedness throughout the game which makes it hard to break him. 

Although the 27-year-old uses his two hands to return to his opponents, his ability to reach every ball gives the illusion that he is playing with eight hands. In fact, in his latest match-up against Zverev, the duo was involved in a 51-shot rally. Highlighting the same on their post, The Tennis Letter gave a shout-out to Medvedev’s ‘octopus’ moniker on X by stating how difficult it was to win a point against him. 

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Acknowledging the skillset of Medvedev, a couple of his peers have also agreed to the fact that he, indeed, moved like an octopus inside the court. Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz stated in an interview, “He’s really complete player. I’m gonna say you know, Rublev said a few times. He’s an octopus. You know, he tracks every ball. It is amazing. You know, he’s an amazing athlete.” Stefanos Tsitsipas too, praised Medvedev’s reach saying that not a lot of athletes can get to the ball like Medvedev. 

Now, let’s hear what Medvedev himself has to say about his moniker. 

Medvedev enjoys his ‘octopus’ moniker 

Daniil Medvedev, in a recent interview, stated that initially, he was not too fond of his octopus nickname. However, gradually as time went by, he did start to enjoy it. He also revealed that in Russian, Daniil meant “bear” and the 27-year-old took more liking to this name than the octopus one. 

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The athlete further shared a heartfelt moment on how he felt proud when his daughter got octopus toys because of his moniker. He said, “That’s fine, it’s Andrey who made this name [Mr. Octopus], I don’t really like it too much, but it becomes funnier and funnier, because some friends start buying toys for my daughter, of an octopus or stuff like this, so it’s pretty funny.” 

Do you think the moniker suits Daniil Medvedev? Let us know your opinion in the comments below. 

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