“Kind of Follow What He Does”: Daniil Medvedev Seeks Inspiration From Novak Djokovic After Tokyo Olympics Disappointment

The National Bank Open has begun in full flow and the men’s singles event has witnessed a few upsets. However, number one seed Daniil Medvedev has won his opening game against Alexander Bublik. The Russian has recovered well after a poor Olympic campaign in Tokyo.

World No.2 Medvedev won a very tight match against Bublik. The match even witnessed rain before commencing. He has drawn inspiration from Novak Djokovic, praising the World No. 1 for his attitude.

Daniil Medvedev takes inspiration from Novak Djokovic after Olympic upset

The Tokyo Olympics witnessed a podium of unexpected medal winners. Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, and Pablo Carreno Busta finished in the top three, respectively. Medvedev crashed out in the quarterfinals against Carreno at the Olympics. However, big guns like Djokovic and Medvedev have regrouped themselves now and are back on winning track.

On Wednesday, Medvedev showed his class and worth on court against Bublik. He was down in the beginning; however, he managed to win the match comfortably towards the end.

“Yeah, definitely Olympics was a tough shot, I would say. To be completely honest, when Novak lost, I saw all over the social media what he said. And what he said, especially after he lost the third place, he said that all his Olympic defeats were very tough. But then he came back only stronger and he knew that that would make him stronger. I was like, I was really disappointed with the way Olympics ended for me,” said Medvedev in his post-match interview.

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Medvedev shifts focus on North America tour after Tokyo loss

Daniil Medvedev took some inspiration from Novak Djokovic. The World No. 1 had also lost at the Olympics and proved that he is human. However, Medvedev also took some learning from his loss and has shifted his focus to future tournaments.

“If the guy who is probably the greatest tennis player of all time, with 20 Slams, 37 Masters or whatever, says this, well I have to kind of follow what he does,” said Medvedev after seeing Djokovic’s social media posts.

“I knew that I will be coming here, try to disconnect a little bit, went to Orlando, no really strict rules there before coming here. Try to disconnect from the loss, and now, in a way I don’t remember it. Of course, I wanted to do better, but now the goal is to try to win this tournament, to try to win Cincinnati, to try to win US Open,” said Medvedev.

Can Medvedev forget the past and rise to glory in North America? Can he win the US Open?

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