Despite Canadian Open Defeat, Russian Tennis Star Daniil Medvedev Takes a Leaf Out of Novak Djokovic’s Book to Keep Spirits High

Things haven’t been going as per the plans of Daniil Medvedev recently. Despite his best career performance at Wimbledon, the Russian star couldn’t go all the way as he lost out to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. Additionally, he had a disappointing grass-court season, having failed to win a title. Weeks after the Wimbledon heartbreak, the former World Number 1 has suffered a similar fate.

Earlier today, Alex de Minaur caused a massive upset at the National Bank Open. The Australian put on a stellar performance to knock out the second seed, Medvedev. It was Minaur’s second win over Medvedev. Following his defeat, the former US Open champion pointed out Novak Djokovic’s example over the adaptability question.

What did Daniil Medvedev say about his shock defeat?

During the post-match press conference after his quarterfinal defeat at the Canadian Open, Medvedev was asked if his style of play was the reason behind his exit. Replying to this, he said, “No, I don’t think – as I say, it’s just someone will like it, someone will not.”

Further, he went on to give Novak Djokovic’s example to explain adaptability on different surfaces. Medvedev revealed, “You know, we have guys like Novak. I’m sure that when he started 17 years ago winning Grand Slams, everything was different. The courts, the balls. He was still winning.”

The Russian star, who prefers faster surfaces, admitted to struggling to adapt to slower surfaces. Despite all of this, de Minaur deserved his credit for the power-packed performance to oust Medvedev from the Canadian Open.

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What is next for Medvedev?

The former World Number 1 will be hoping to come back stronger in the upcoming tournaments. He’ll be seen in action at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, USA. Medvedev will be joined by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the tournament. The Serb will be returning to action after suffering a heartbreaking Wimbledon final defeat against Alcaraz.

With the US Open around the corner, it will be important for Medvedev to put on a strong show in Cincinnati. However, only time will tell if he can dig deep in the tournament.

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