Daniil Medvedev, as one of the tennis world’s top male players, earned a lot of fans because of his great performance during the 2019 U.S. Open. Even if the Russian player faced off and lost to tennis icon Rafael Nadal during the finals, it still helped him climb to his career record high of no. 4 in the world rankings. But, it was one incident during the tournament that made him a controversial figure among fans.
Daniil Medvedev apologizes
The Russian player has expressed his regrets for his behavior during his third-round game with Spanish pro Feliciano Lopez. Medvedev said that he was not proud of the things that he did during the match, even going as far as calling himself an “idiot.”
He said that he wants to be a better player inside the court. Because of the incident, he promised that he is working on exhibiting improved behavior from now on.
It can be remembered that the 23-year old star received a violation when he angrily took a towel from a ball boy during the game with Lopez. When he realized that he gained a violation, Medvedev then threw his racket. He then had a confrontation with chair umpire Damien Dumusois, where he threw a middle finger at him. This is when the crowd started booing him. Daniil made it worse by goading the crowd when he won.
Lopez, for his part, said that Medvedev already reached out to him since their match. He said that right after their match, the Russian star immediately approached him in the locker rooms to apologize. He praised the Russian for his consistency throughout the summer tennis season, saying that it was no surprise he faced off Nadal in the final round.
As for the match itself, Lopez said that the game he had with Medvedev was exciting. He also said that it is the kind of matches that motivates him to train better as a player.
On his tactics
On a separate interview, the world No. 4 reflected about his tactics and realized that he has to be more professional with how he plays his games. He said that more cameras are trained at him now and that silly behavior will distract him from doing well in the games. He said that he is thankful that he has a mental coach that helps him stop his previous angry outbursts.
He also talked about his overall tactic as a player. He revealed that his playing style demands his opponents to think because the other players rarely know what he will do next.
Meanwhile, Russian Tennis Federation coach Vladimir Kamelzon was all praises with regards to Medvedev. He thinks that the 23-year old is professional and that he exceeded expectations with his performance in the North American tournaments.
Daniil Medvedev’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.4 (career-high), Daniil played his last match on the 22nd of September when he beat Borna Coric 6-3 6-1 in the final in St. Petersburg to win his 6th career title.
This year the Russian has a 53-17 win-loss record. Daniil conquered 3 titles in 2019 in Sofia, in Cincinnati and in St. Petersburg. Daniil was the finalist in Brisbane, in Barcelona, in Washington, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open.
Feliciano Lopez’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.55, the Spaniard played his last match on the 30th of August when he surrendered to Daniil Medvedev 7-61 4-6 7-67 6-4 in the 3rd round in U.S. Open.
This year Lopez has a 18-16 win-loss record. Feliciano has won 1 title in London.
Daniil Medvedev and Feliciano Lopez played each other 2 times. The head to head is 1-1.
The last time that they played each other, Daniil Medvedev won 7-61 4-6 7-67 6-4 in the 3rd round in U.S. Open in 30th August 2019.
Here the highlights.
Daniil Medvedev and Feliciano Lopez |
| Embed from Getty Images |
