"I want to beat everybody and actually Rafa even more" - Daniil Medvedev reveals why he wants to beat Rafael Nadal more than any other player
Daniil Medvedev is set to face Novak Djokovic in Astana and wants to beat the 21-time Grand Slam champion as much as he wants to beat "everybody." However, there is another tennis legend who Medvedev wants to win against more than everybody else and that is Rafael Nadal.
Medvedev will face off against Djokovic in the 2022 Astana Open semifinals on Saturday and will be hoping to beat the Serb for the fifth time in 11 meetings. While he would be thrilled to get that win against the in-form Serbian, the Russian explained that beating Nadal is at the top of his wish list as he has lost two Grand Slam finals to the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
He opened up about his goals and his upcoming match against Djokovic in a recent interview after beating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-1 in the Astana Open quarterfinals on Friday.
"I want to beat everybody and actually Rafa [Nadal] even more because I lost two Grand Slam finals against Rafa but I'm really happy to be playing against Novak," Daniil Medvedev said, according to Express.
Medvedev has lost two of his three Grand Slam finals, the 2019 US Open and the 2022 Australian Open, to Nadal. The former World No. 1 beat Djokovic to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open.
The 26-year-old further spoke about his rivalry with Djokovic and highlighted that the Serbian great and himself have been part of the same tournament just twice this year - the ongoing Astana Open and the French Open in May-June.
However, they did not face off at Roland Garros. They last faced each other on tour in the finals of the 2021 Paris Masters, which Djokovic won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
"I thought about this before the match that we have played only one tournament together this year and that was Roland Garros, so this is the second one and we meet again and I'm really happy," Daniil Medvedev said.
The current World No. 4 did not liken the rivalry between the two players to the ones Djokovic shares with Nadal and Roger Federer, but feels it is still pretty competitive.
"I feel like it's not a bad rivalry, not of course close to Novak against Roger (Federer) or Rafa but still, and I need to be my best tomorrow," he added.
Daniil Medvedev's Grand Slam record against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal faced off in the 2019 US Open final in what was their first Grand Slam match against each other. In that final, Nadal stormed to a 7-5, 6-3 lead before Medvedev made a stunning comeback to take the final into a deciding set. While he had his chances in the fifth set as well, Nadal held his nerve to clinch a 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 win and the title.
Their second match was this year's Australian Open final. This time, it was Medvedev who took a two-sets-to-love lead and had three break points midway through the third set. Nadal then produced a comeback for the ages, denying Medvedev once again with a 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win.
Meanwhile, the Russian has lost two of his three matches against Djokovic at the Grand Slams. His only win brought him his maiden and only Grand Slam title so far.