Daniil Medvedev failed in his bid to win his first Grand Slam title at the US Open losing to second-ranked Rafael Nadal in five grueling sets. Down 5-1 in the fifth set, the Russian won the next 3 games closing in to make it 5-4 but eventually lost to Nadal in the 10th game.
He may have lost to Nadal in the final but Medvedev has certainly gotten the respect of the fans. Down 2 sets and on the brink of being swept by his Spanish rival, Medvedev won the next two sets and even extended Nadal in the fifth.
At the start, he was being booed but was cheered later on after staging a near comeback. At the end of the game, he made sure that he congratulated Nadal who won his 19th Grand Slam to be 1 slam away from tying Roger Federer.
Drawing strength from his wife Daria
During the trophy presentation, Medvedev jokingly told the crowd that he was already thinking of what to say during his speech if he lost in three sets. Also, as Nadal was being honored as the US Open champion, videos were being shown. He told the crowd that he wondered what videos would be shown if he was the one who won to the laughter of the crowd.
But throughout his campaign, Medvedev’s top supporter was his wife, Daria. Since they got married, Daniil Medvedev was going through a very good time in his life and career. According to Medvedev, his wife gives him a lot of confidence. He considers the marriage as a turning point in his tennis career.
Daria Medvedeva
Daria accompanies Daniil to many of his sporting events. According to Medvedev, his wife is instrumental in keeping him calm and avoid becoming crazy during a match.
At first, he thought that getting married would keep him from playing well in the Davis Cup. But Daria has become an important part of his team. She keeps on saying to Daniil to believe in himself. From then on, it was uphill for Medvedev whose ranking changed from 65 to 15.
Also, his wife does so much for him in ensuring that he takes his game to a higher level. Dealing with small issues in his life that may take his attention, knowing that his wife cares about them enables him to focus on playing tennis and win some games.
Daniil Medvedev’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.4 (career-high), the Russian played his last match on the 8th of September when he lost Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open.
This year Daniil has a 49-17 win-loss record. Medvedev clinched 2 titles in 2019 in Sofia and in Cincinnati. Medvedev was the finalist in Brisbane, in Barcelona, in Washington, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open.
