I love to see the inner strength Daniil Medvedev showed during his Australian Open campaign: Coach Gilles Cervara
Daniil Medvedev's coach Gilles Cervara was proud of the Russian's Australian Open campaign. Cervara said the World No. 2 exhibited great "inner strength," an attribute he loves to see in his charge.
Medvedev lost to Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday. Despite racing into a two-set lead, the Russian failed to capitalize on his momentum. Instead, he found himself on the receiving end of an incredible comeback by the Spaniard, who won the match 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
It could only be him...
The moment @RafaelNadal became the first man in the Open era to win the @AustralianOpen final from two sets down 💪
https://t.co/WZx42PUGKA
After the final, Cervara took to Instagram to hail Nadal for his "amazing win." He also congratulated Medvedev for his brilliant performances in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final in Melbourne.
"We got it in our….! But what a final, what a tournament!!! 1st, Congrats to the winner Rafa Nadal for this amazing win. 2nd, big big congrats and very very proud of Daniil for what I saw and felt on every match…specially 1/4, 1/2, and final…" Cervara captioned his Instagram post.
"This inner strength during fights…that’s what I love to see and feel…to reach this level of strength it’s what we can expect to see as a coach… Bravo Fighters can be proud of them…" added the coach.
Medvedev himself fought back from a two-set deficit in his quarter-final encounter with Felix Auger-Aliassime, even saving a match point in the process.
"You are an amazing champion" - Daniil Medvedev on Rafael Nadal
In the post-match interview, Medvedev heaped praise on Nadal, calling him an "amazing champion." The Russian said it was incredible how the Spaniard "raised his level" despite being two sets down to win his 21st Grand Slam title.
It can't be easy to deliver a classy speech after a five-hour losing effort, but Daniil Medvedev did it with aplomb. 🤝
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"You raised your level after two sets for the 21st Grand Slam. I thought you were going to get tired. Maybe [you did] just a little but you still won the match. You are an amazing champion. I think you guys still have a good rivalry. It is not over yet, but congrats. It was unbelievable, and congrats to your team," said Medvedev.
This was Medvedev's third loss in four Grand Slam finals. His only victory came against Novak Djokovic at the 2021 US Open, where he beat the Serb in straight sets.
Also read: "The kid has stopped dreaming" - Daniil Medvedev during emotional press conference after Australian Open final loss