'Jannik, Carlos, Novak, I feel like they are all better than me' - Daniil Medvedev talks about challenges on tour

Daniil Medvedev will face Hamad Medjedovic in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open on Monday.

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has stated that defeating the top stars on the tour is always a big challenge for him.

During a recent interview with Roland Garros, Daniil Medvedev stated that while a few tennis players arch towards retirement, new stars take their place. Twenty two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is close to retiring from tennis. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as the new Spanish No. 1.

On the other side, Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open, where the Serb won 10 titles.

Thus, reflecting on the topic, Medvedev said, “I think in every sport you can see it where you are up against someone really strong and the moment you think maybe they become weaker or at least you feel like it, there are new guys coming that try to beat you and manage to do it sometimes.”

He added, “For me it’s a big challenge to try to beat these guys, Novak, Rafa is still there – I wanted to say only Novak, but no, Rafa is back, let’s see how far he can go.”

The former World No. 1 also claimed that he feels other players on the tour, such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and more are better than him. As a result, facing them is always a big challenge for the Russian tennis star. However, despite everything, he’s ready to face new challenges and win more titles.

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Daniil Medvedev said, “Jannik, Carlos, Novak, I feel like they are all better than me, if we talk about peak performance; so for me it’s a big challenge to try to beat them when I play them. I’m happy to take this challenge and make a big improvement on myself when I manage to beat them.”

After being forced to retire in the 2024 Madrid Open quarter-final against Jiri Lehecka, the Russian has made a winning return in Rome. Medvedev defeated British tennis player Jack Draper to reach the Round of 32 of the Italian Open.

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