"This is why I’m convinced there’s more to the Ben Shelton situation": Fans react to Daniil Medvedev fondly recalling his old trip with Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev's account of Novak Djokovic extending an invitation to travel together in his early days on tour has captivated tennis fans.
Medvedev advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a dominant 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, triumphing in two hours and nine minutes. With his win, the Russian extended his flawless record against Auger-Aliassime to 7-0.
Following his win, the World No. 3 was questioned about an old photograph of him posing alongside Novak Djokovic. Medvedev fondly narrated the incident where the Serb invited him to travel together for the Davis Cup. Despite his initial shyness, the Russian shared that he ultimately accepted the 24-time Grand Slam champion's gracious offer.
"The story was unbelievable. We practiced with Novak, that was so funny. He was even like: 'Oh, we play Davis Cup in a couple of days.' I was like: 'Yeah. Are you going?' [He said] 'Yeah, I'm going. When are you going?' I was like: 'Saturday.'He was [like]: 'Do you want to go with me?'"
"Honestly, I feel like I'm a shy person. At first, I say: 'No, no, Federation already took tickets for me,' it was one stop, three hours away and something. In one hour when the practice finished, [I said]: 'Novak, really, I can come with you?' He was: 'Yeah.' I was: 'Okay, I will come,'" he added.
Medvedev also disclosed that, despite the escalating intensity of their on-court rivalry, his off-court equation with Djokovic had remained the same over the years.
"I think that's what sometimes people don't know about Novak. He can be tough on the court, like I can be. He can be this and that. But me, since the first time I met him, I was 400 in the world. Now I'm 3 in the world. Was 1 in the world. I feel like he treats me like before," he said.
"For sure I became more of a rival than before for him. But the treatment off court when we see each other is the same. I like this about him. I find this very good from him as a person, yeah," he added.
Tennis fans were charmed by Novak Djokovic's gracious gesture towards Daniil Medvedev. One fan even suggested that this display of kindness towards an up-and-coming player just showed that there was something deeper behind Djokovic's criticism of Ben Shelton for his alleged lack of respect.
"Not to beat a dead horse but this is why I’m convinced there’s a lot more to the Shelton situation. Djokovic has always been very kind to the up and coming players regardless of the level they were at. He’s certainly never had anything bad to say about Alcaraz and he’s just as boisterous on court as Shelton," the fan posted.
"Novak is a nice person and that is a FACT, he deserves none of the mistreatment he gets," another fan commented.
Below are a few more reactions from fans:
Australian Open 2024: Novak Djokovic to take on Taylor Fritz in QF; Daniil Medvedev faces Nuno Borges in 4R clash
Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open in dominant fashion, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes.
The Serb will play against Taylor Fritz for a place in the semifinals of the Major. The duo have locked horns in eight tour-level encounters, with the World No. 1 triumphing in all of them.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev will take on Nuno Borges in the fourth round, marking their first clash on tour. Borges pulled off a stunning upset against 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov to book his place against the Russian.