"One of the most difficult things to do" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou extols Daniil Medvedev's defensive skills
Last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev showcased a sound performance to see off home hopeful John Millman 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
The former World No. 1 was seldom under pressure during the match, displaying incredible rally tolerance and thwarting the Aussie's attack with efficient counter-punching. Medvedev's long-fabled ability to maneuver exchanges from the extremes of the baseline allowed Millman to hit just 16 winners past him in the 2-hour-19-minute contest.
The Russian's defensive skills drew plenty of praise from the tennis community, with tennis pundit Patrick Mouratoglou taking to Twitter to applaud the same. The former coach of Serena Williams went on to claim that managing a winner past the 2021 US Open champion is perhaps one of the "most difficult" things to pull off.
"One of the most difficult things to do in these Australian Open first rounds is to hit a winner vs Daniil Medvedev," the Frenchman wrote in a tweet.
One of the most difficult thing to do in these @AustralianOpen first rounds is to hit a winner vs @DaniilMedwed
"It did affect me in a negative way, I was really close to winning my second" - Daniil Medvedev on losing Australian Open 2022 final
Daniil Medvedev was handed an excruciating loss in the finals of the Australian Open 12 months ago by an indomitable Rafael Nadal. With the 22-time Grand Slam champion ousted on Wednesday, Medvedev will be fancying his chances for a maiden crown at Melbourne Park now more than ever.
The 26-year-old was asked to reflect on the time following his loss from being 2-sets-to-love up in his post-match presser. Medvedev admitted that the disappointment lingered in his mind for quite some time, adding that he found it difficult to regain his momentum for months after the tournament.
"I think it did affect me in a negative way," said Medvedev of the 2022 Australian Open final."Just losing the final is not easy, especially in the context that I won the previous slam and I was really close to winning the second one. And then it's not that you lose motivation. I was really motivated to continue doing well, but I think you lose the connection, and that's what happened a little bit to me."
The former World No. 1, however, was confident in his ability to add another Major title to his thriving trophy cabinet. He further iterated how he chooses to focus on his own journey in the tournament rather than the results of some of his biggest rivals in the draw.
"I know what I have to do to try to win these tournaments," the Russian affirmed. "I know I'm capable of it. That's the only positive thing. The negative part is that I dropped in the rankings a little bit, so usually, you get a little bit tougher draw. The most important is to focus on yourself because Novak can lose. Rafa can lose. Stefanos can lose. But if you lose too, it doesn't matter if they lose,"
Daniil Medvedev will next take on 29th seed Sebastian Korda in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.