People learn techniques to understand principles. And when they figure out the principles, they often create their own techniques. Talking about strategies, the Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev is quite confident in what he does and doesn’t need any old tennis videos to bring the best out of his game. He simply doesn’t believe in the concept of thinking about tennis 24/7. Recently, he defeated Tommy Paul in the SF of the Indian Wells to set up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz for the second consecutive year at the same venue.
During the post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked that a few days ago, Tommy Paul revealed that he has been watching a lot of old tennis matches like Edberg and Henman, just to bring in the old style to his game. Does he follow anything like that? The interviewers were curious to know whether any players from the past inspired the Russian tennis star. Here’s what he said in reply.
Daniil Medvedev on Tommy Paul’s playing style in their latest meeting
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In the interview, Daniil Medvedev didn’t hesitate to reveal his different approach to the game compared to the American tennis star. He said, “I don’t really because first of all, I don’t really watch tennis when I’m not in the tournament. When I’m at the tournament, I watch a lot of tennis but from this tournament to kind of stay in the atmosphere of the tournament. So I didn’t really watch too many old matches.” Medvedev revealed that when he was young, he watched more of those videos.
Half-volley lob, passing-shot on a smash, soft hand volley… DANIIL MEDVEDEV CAN DO EVERYTHING (in one point)!
(🎥 @TennisTV)pic.twitter.com/MZXjQhK7VD
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) March 17, 2024
He then went on to speak more about his opponent’s game in the semi-final clash. “It’s funny because today he played a little bit old style, return volleys, serve and volleys, sometimes going to the net on even not the best approach shots.” However, Daniil Medvedev also mentioned that maybe it helps him. Maybe one day, people will see him trying Stefan Edberg’s style!
But he believes if something helps Tommy Paul, he should do it more for sure. In the meantime, Daniil Medvedev spoke about his inspiration in the world of racket sport.
Medvedev sends flowers to Andy Murray!
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Just a few weeks back, Daniil Medvedev heaped praise on the 3-time Grand Slam champion and hailed him as an “inspiration” saying he’ll be disappointed when Andy Murray takes his retirement from tennis.
“First of all, he’s a fun guy, a great guy to be around. That’s always a great quality in life. For sure, he’s an inspiration of mine because I remember when I was just going up the rankings, that’s the moment when he was winning Slams, playing finals against Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] and Novak [Djokovic]. So the Big Four,” Daniil Medvedev on Murray.
He further went on to add, “It’s going to be sad when he retires. Even I’m definitely not sure that he’s going to stop this year. Wimbledon is a big tournament, maybe Wimbledon and then stop. But while he’s here, it’s going to be fun. [When] he’s not here, I’m sure he’s going to find a good spot in his life after tennis.”
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Daniil Medvedev seems to be a big Andy Murray fan, but do you know how many times they have faced each other on the Tour and who leads the race between the two?
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