Daniil Medvedev builds his perfect Davis Cup Finals player, picks Novak Djokovic 4 times
Daniil Medvedev will be locking horns with Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2021 Davis Cup if all goes well for their respective teams. But that did not stop Medvedev from gushing about the World No. 1 from Serbia.
In a video released by Davis Cup, Medvedev was asked to build his perfect Davis Cup Finals player, combining the best aspects from the players who are playing at the tournament. The Russian did not hesitate to pick Djokovic in four of the eight categories.
Medvedev reckoned Djokovic has the best backhand.
"We all know it is one of the best backhands in the history of tennis, I think," he said.
Regarding the most athletic ability, the World No. 2 lauded the Serb for the way he handles himself under pressure.
"Novak, just because, the way he handles himself on the court in tough situations is extraordinary, and I try to learn from him," he said.
Medvedev also had high praise for Djokovic's mentality.
"We had some physical matches and many times I feel like he is tired but then on the next point he is capable of running, running and running and then the next day he is capable of doing it again," he said.
In terms of service return as well, the US Open champion rated the 20-time Grand Slam champion ahead of everybody else.
"Again, Novak. You can put him in a lot of categories and his return is pretty special," he said.
The other players Medvedev picked are: Andrey Rublev for his "bomb" forehand and for being the funniest, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for talent, and Reilly Opelka for his serve.
(This was limited to the players who are playing at the Davis Cup Finals tournament, so players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were not available for picking.)
Daniil Medvedev's Russia only 2 matches away from lifting the Davis Cup title
Medvedev has won all his singles ties for Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) in the Davis Cup so far as his team made it into the final four with a victory against Sweden in the quarters. Daniil beat Mikael Ymer 6-4,6-4 in straight sets to seal the fixture in RTF's favor.
A win against Germany in the semi-finals will pit them against either Serbia or Croatia in the final. As the No.1 seed for RTF, Medvedev will be facing Djokovic or Marin Cilic depending on who wins their semi-final.
Medvedev has had his most successful season ever in 2021, finishing as the player on the ATP circuit with most wins in the year and lifting the US Open in the process.
After being in the top-4 all year, he will finish the year as No. 2, becoming the first Russian since Marat Safin in 2000 to finish in the top-2.
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