via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 19, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev reacts during his semi final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Kelly Defina
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 19, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev reacts during his semi final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Kelly Defina
Daniil Medvedev has arrived in Tokyo ahead of the Olympic Games. Notching an impressive 2021 season so far, Medvedev will be hoping to secure a medal at Tokyo 2020.
He was last seen at the Wimbledon Championships 2021, where he looked determined to make the finals. However, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz cut Medvedev’s stay short in Round-4.
Daniil Medvedev takes time to reach the village, happy with the accommodation
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After a strenuous flight, the Russian reached Tokyo two days before the start of the tennis event. The World No.2 said it took him around nine hours to get to the Olympic village from the airport, due to the regulations. However, Medvedev had no complaints with regard to the place of stay.
Medvedev, in interview with @telesporttv, says it took him 9 hours to get from Tokyo airport to the village (border control and testing took that long) but he also doesn’t complain about the conditions in the village: pic.twitter.com/QNYfT0Ze6Z
? Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) July 21, 2021
“To be frank, top tennis players are used to staying in the five-star hotels. But we all went through Futures circuit where you look for a 40 euro accommodation instead of 50 euro one to save ten euros, where you live in a tiny room with one bathroom on the entire floor. Many players went through this since their junior days so that?s nothing new for me,” Medvedev said with regard to not having access to five-star stay.
READ MORE: How Do Tennis Players Qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
In fact, the 2021 Australian Open runner-up found the rooms to be quite comfortable.
“I feel pretty comfortable actually. We four guys, live together, happy atmosphere. The catering in the village is decent, which is important for having a good tournament. Overall, I have no complaints.?
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Can the Russian outplay the favorite Djokovic?
In spite of having an astounding campaign, Daniil Medvedev will not be the favorite to take the coveted gold medal. Standing in his path will be Serbia’s cyborg machine, Novak Djokovic. The World No.1 has an extraordinary record in 2021 and is undefeated in the Majors.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 21, 2021, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with Russia’s Daniil Medvedev after their final match REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Djokovic holds a 5-3 head-to-head record against Russia’s unorthodox star. However, this by no means will affect how their potential clash at Tokyo will pan out. Moreover, the best-of-three sets format will play slightly in Medvedev’s favor. If the lanky big-server from Moscow can play at his best level, an intriguing battle awaits.
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Daniil Medvedev will be accompanied by an explosive Russian lineup that includes Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, and Aslan Karatsev. With such a group of players, it won’t be overly surprising if Russia runs away with all three available medals in the men’s singles. How far will Medvedev go at Tokyo 2020? Can he bring a medal home for Russia?
