"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were the ideals of tennis; I'm not yet ready to say that Medvedev and Tsitsipas are" - Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli
Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli is not ready to equate Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas' rivalry with the one Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had over the years.
Over the years, Medvedev and Tsitsipas have struck a rivalry on the court that has attracted the greater attention of the fans with each passing match. The two have clashed 10 times so far, with the Russian leading 7-3 in the head-to-head statistics.
Fans have even compared their rivalry to the one that's been on display between Federer, Nadal, and Novak Djokovic; with many comparing the Russian and Greek's head-to-head records every step of the way.
Federer-Djokovic started 7-3
Nadal-Djokovic started 7-3
Nadal-Federer started 7-3
Medvedev-Tsitsipas starts 7-3
Curious to see how it’ll develop from here
However, Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli, in a conversation with Russian media house Championat, stated that Medvedev and Tsitsipas cannot be put on the same level as Federer and Nadal just yet.
"Nadal and Federer did not have such a conflict. No offense will be said, but Roger and Nadal were the ideals of tennis in their time. Not yet ready to say that Medvedev and Tsitsipas are ideal players. There is room to grow," she said.
She believes that there isn't "anything special" between them, with Medvedev being an opinionated person while Tsitsipas is an introvert by nature.
“I don't think there's anything special. Daniil is such a person by nature: if he doesn’t like something, he won’t keep it in himself for a long time. He expresses his opinion on many things. Styopa [Tsitsipas' nickname] is more of an introvert, although it's hard to tell from him. He had to become an extrovert by virtue of his profession. He has no such negative feelings towards anyone," she said.
"The era is gone sadly, but we managed to beat him" - Julia Apostoli on Roger Federer's retirement
Roger Federer made headlines this year when he shocked the tennis community, and beyond, by announcing his retirement. After being on the sidelines due to injury troubles for more than a year, he returned to action at the Laver Cup, where he played a doubles match partnering Rafael Nadal — which will go down as the final professional match of the Swiss maestro's career.
While Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli is saddened about the end of an era with his retirement, she is happy that her son has managed to beat the 41-year-old in his career.
"The era is gone, sadly. But we managed to beat him - it's good. If he had gone undefeated, it would have been a painful moment for us," she said, adding, "I respect on the court: his behavior, thinking."
Tsitsipas and the 20-time Grand Slam winner went head-to-head four times, with the two players registering a couple of wins each. Their final meeting came in the semifinals of the 2019 ATP Finals in Great Britain, where Tsitsipas won 6-3, 6-4.