"No one but Rafael Nadal is capable of beating Daniil Medvedev, even Novak Djokovic was easily beaten at the US Open"- Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka believes Rafael Nadal is the only player capable of beating Daniil Medvedev at the moment. The American pointed out that even Novak Djokovic was swept aside by the World No. 2 in the final of the US Open last year.
Rafael Nadal lifted his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month after overturning a two-set deficit in the final against Medvedev. With his victory, the Spaniard moved ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam race.
@AustralianOpen) 21 Grand Slam titles 🏆
Rafael Nadal makes history at the Australian Open, overcoming a 2-set deficit in a grueling match that lasted 5 hours and 24 minutes. 🙌
(🎥 @AustralianOpen)
https://t.co/Lr9Kthx9Jo
During a press conference at the Delray Beach Open, Opelka spoke about his own performances at recent Grand Slams. The American has made the third round at three of the last four Slams and was only beaten by top players like Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov and Lloyd Harris.
Opelka pointed out that his losses were not disappointing since they came against the world's best players. He also singled out his defeat to Medvedev, and said that no player apart from Nadal would have been able to beat the Russian anyway.
"In the last Slams, I lost against really strong players. Medvedev, Shapovalov, then Lloyd Harris was on fire against me. No one but Nadal is capable of beating Medvedev, even Novak was easily beaten at the US Open," said Opelka.
Opelka then shifted his focus to the areas of his game he needs to improve. The American said needs to work on his serve and become faster on the court.
"I always think I need to improve. I want to serve even better, I want to get physically stronger and faster. In two or three years, I hope to be able to say that I have improved a lot in what I was already doing well today," added the American.
The American also said that he wants to improve his physical conditioning so that he can approach every point with the same intensity.
Opelka dazzles in Dallas ✨
@ReillyOpelka is the @DALOpenTennis champion 🏆 https://t.co/kD6m010dkb
“The thing that we haven't been able to see particularly in these matches is how much I have improved from a physical point of view. I have never felt tired in any of these games. It is really very important for me to feel so physically fit because it allows me to have the right intensity every point," mentioned Opelka.
A look at Reilly Opelka's head-to-head record against Daniil Medevdev and Rafael Nadal
Reilly Opelka has played Rafael Nadal only once so far, losing in straight sets at the 2021 Italian Open. The Spaniard cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 win to advance to the final, where he defeated Novak Djokovic to win the title.
Rafael Nadal secured his place in the Italian Open final with a 6-4 6-4 win over Reilly Opelka.
bbc.in/3oiHK5L https://t.co/dOy1zVjIxb
Opelka, however, has beaten Daniil Medvedev in the past. The American stunned the Russian in three sets at the St. Petersburg Open in 2020. But that remains his only victory over the World No. 2.
Medvedev has won each of their five other meetings, most recently at the Canada Masters last year, and leads the head-to-head 5-1.