Novak Djokovic has never said anything bad about an opponent after a match, he always congratulates everyone: Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev scored a routine 6-3, 6-4 victory over Benoit Paire on Tuesday to kick off his debut campaign in the Mexican city of Acapulco. The 26-year-old is guaranteed to dethrone Novak Djokovic atop the ATP rankings if he goes on to win the title this week, regardless of how the Serb performs in Dubai.
Djokovic recently stated that he would be the first to congratulate the Russian if he rises to World No. 1. Asked for his thoughts about the 34-year-old's statement, Medvedev admitted Djokovic was speaking the truth. He emphasized that the 20-time Grand Slam champion always congratulates the players on the tour when they achieve something.
"He's speaking the truth. Every time I achieved something, and not only me, we can see that for many players, Novak always congratulates everybody," he said.
Medvedev also addressed instances where players like him and Djokovic have got caught up in the heat of battle. He highlighted several factors that could have affected them during the course of a match and led to unruly behavior on court.
"To be honest, we all know sometimes - I know better than anybody - that we are all competitive," Medvedev explained. "So sometimes, during the match, there can be something with fans, with the opponent, with the referee, with anything, with the balls, I don't know, anything. And he can sometimes get really angry at some moments."
But the Russian added that he had never seen Djokovic make any derogatory remarks about his opponent after a match.
"Maybe when he was really young, I don't know. But I don't think, at least when I came on the tour, that you're gonna find one match, where after the match Novak said something bad about the opponent, not congratulated him. That's how he is, " he said.
Daniil Medvedev is guaranteed to be World No. 1 if he wins Acapulco or Novak Djokovic loses before the semi-finals in Dubai
Daniil Medvedev has the No. 1 ranking on his racquet, as he did at the Australian Open a month back. However, unlike in Melbourne, the Russian can dethrone Novak Djokovic even if he does not win the title in Acapulco.
Since Medvedev won his first-round match in the Mexican city, the Serbian must at least reach the semi-finals in Dubai to stand a chance of holding on to pole position. If the Russian wins two more rounds and loses in the semi-finals himself, Djokovic must make the final to retain his No. 1 ranking.
If Medvedev makes the final at Acapulco, Djokovic must lift his sixth Dubai title to keep the Russian at bay.