"I was shaking, I was trembling" - Daniil Medvedev fondly recalls his first ATP match win after reaching 350-win milestone at Miami Open
Daniil Medvedev recorded his 350th match win on the ATP Tour on Tuesday, downing Dominik Koepfer 7-6(5), 6-0 in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Miami Open. Afterwards, the Russian fondly recalled his first ever win, which came nearly eight years ago.
Medvedev made his ATP Tour main draw debut in singles at the 2016 Nice Open, where he lost in the very first round. As a qualifier, he then reached the main draw at s-Hertogenbosch, where he Horacio Zeballos in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) to register his first ATP-level win.
349 wins later, the Russian admitted that he still has the same desire to succeed, even if his internal feeling during the course of winning matches has changed. The former World No. 1 recalled how he was shaking and trembling while leading 5-1 in the second set against Zeballos, due to his nerves over the fact that he was close to getting his first win on tour.
These days, however, Medvedev emphasized that he has a more relaxed mindset, wherein a 5-1 lead in the second set means he will look to finish the match soon so he can go home.
"To be honest, I would say that before the match, the desire to win is the same. But for sure the feeling of winning and while you are winning is different. I remember my first match, like I was up 5-1 in the second, I was shaking, I was trembling, I was like Oh my God, I am gonna win my first ATP match," Daniil Medvedev said in his on-court interview.
"And now it's like 5-1, good for me, I have a good margin, I just need to finish it and we go home. So, feelings are different but desire to win is the same and that's what keeps me going," he added.
Daniil Medvedev attempting to win first repeat title of career at Miami Open
Following his win over Dominik Koepfer, Daniil Medvedev will take on either Casper Ruud or Nicolas Jarry in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. A win there is likely to pit him against second seed Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Meanwhile, top seed Carlos Alcaraz remains the favorite to reach the final from the top half of the draw.
Medvedev is the defending champion in Miami this fortnight, and will be hoping to defend a title for the first time in his career. More interestingly, the Russian is also on the lookout to win the same title twice for the first time ever, having collected all his previous 20 trophies drom different tournaments.