Djokovic impressed by Daniil Medvedev also after his US Open final against Nadal

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev may lock horns again in the semifinal in Shanghai. The world no.1 was stunned in the semifinal in Cincinnati when the Russian defeated him 3-6 6-3 6-3. After a while, it was known that the Serbian sensation was indeed struggling with a nasty injury to his left shoulder that made him withdraw when playing the US Open a few weeks later.

Why Djokovic is impressed by Medvedev

During the pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic was asked his opinion about Daniil Medvedev also because they may clash in the final 4. The world no.1 didn’t hesitate to admit that he was impressed by the Russian also after his US Open final against Rafael Nadal to comment:

“He’s improved his movement, his fitness. He’s got the big serve, he’s got the height and he uses angles very well. [The] backhand, [itis] hard to break that backhand, it’s very flat.

He doesn’t make many mistakes and he can hit anything he wants from that corner. [The] forehand maybe has been his weaker side, but now he’s improved that, so he’s a very complete player.”

H2H Djokovic vs. Medvedev

The head to head between Djokovic and Medvedev is 3-2 for the Serbian. However, Daniil won the last 2 encounters and he can be a real threat for the world no.1 if he wants to defend his title in Shanghai. Djokovic is “desperate” for gathering as many points as he can in Shanghai so as to challenge Rafael Nadal to be at the top of the rankings by the end of the year.

Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019

Now ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 6^th of October when he defeated John Millman 6-3 6-2 in the final in Tokyo to win his 76^th career title.

This year the Serbian has a 46-8 win-loss record. Djokovic has won 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. The Serbian was the finalist in Rome.

Medvedev in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2019

Ranked no.4 (career-high), Daniil has a 54-17 win-loss record in 2019. The Russian is in Shanghai where he toppled Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-1.

Daniil will square off with Pospisil in the 3^rd round. They have never played each so far on the main tour.

The Russian clinched 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.

The Russian won 6 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts and 3 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev played each other 5 times. The head to head is 3-2 for Djokovic.

The last time that they locked horns, Daniil Medvedev won 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the semifinal in Cincinnati on 17^th August 2019.

Here the highlights.