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Daniil Medvedev will look for his 250th ATP victory in Los Cabos on Wednesday night. The World No. 1 will chase the milestone victory against Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, hoping for a h*t run over the next two weeks to stay on the ATP throne.
Asked about his most prized victory, Daniil had no doubts. He mentioned the 2021 US Open final and win over Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Djokovic was a player to beat at the Majors last year, throwing everything at the four most prestigious events and barely missing a single Grand Slam on the schedule.
Novak conquered the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, matching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for 20 Grand Slam titles and seeking ultimate glory in New York. In the absence of matches and without playing at his best level, Djokovic won six victories to reach the final of the US Open and be one victory away from writing the history books.
However, Medvedev proved too strong on that historic night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, beating Novak 6-4 6-4 6-4 to claim his first Major crown at the age of 25. The Russian hit 38 winners and 31 unforced errors to put the Serb behind and displayed bold and aggressive tennis to outplay Novak for the best win of his career.
Medvedev won the first two sets with two breaks and parled in the third to cross the finish line and join the tennis immortals. Daniil barely dropped a point on his serve in the opening match and grabbed a break in the first game to take an instant lead.
Medvedev managed his games excellently and held on for 10th for 6-4 and a momentum in the second set. Djokovic squandered five break chances early in the second set and paid the price soon after.
Lendl on Nadal and Djokovic
Ivan Lendl recently shared his thoughts on the cat-and-mouse race between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
"I'm disappointed with Novak, I'm disappointed with Rafa," Lendl said. "At the moment, Roger seems to be out of it, because he hasn't played for a long time and he is also the oldest. If Novak wins the most Grand Slams despite that, I think we will have an answer.
If Rafa wins one more title, I think he will have to answer the question about the vaccination and the fact that Novak could not play. And I don't think that's fair. I'd actually like to see someone have a 2, 3, 4 title advantage at the top.
I don't care who it is, I don't have a favorite. Just for the sake of answering that question, to be clear. And, not to say 'If this man could play, maybe it would be different, your record is not that good.' That is not fair," he added.
