“Very Intelligent”: Novak Djokovic Compares Daniil Medvedev’s Rivalry to That of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

If 2011 was the year where Novak Djokovic placed the bid to reach the summit of the sport and become the lead contender to be called the tennis’ all-time great, 2021 might just become the year that cements his spot on top of the leaderboard overtaking peers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The latest inclusion to Djokovic’s historic on-court achievements was the Rolex Paris Masters title, where he avenged his US Open final loss against world no.2, Daniil Medvedev.

Novak Djokovic talks about Daniil Medvedev’s game after Paris Masters 2021 title victory

The Russian, arguably the best player after Novak on the ATP tour right now, is slowly building a memorable rivalry with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

After defeating Medvedev in Paris, Djokovic talks in length about the Russian’s game and how it’s different from that of his peers – Nadal and Federer.

“It’s developing into a great rivalry. We push each other to the limit. It’s something similar to what I’ve been feeling over the last 15 years with Nadal and Federer in our rivalries. Medvedev is such a different player from Nadal and Federer”, opined the Serb.

The world no.1 was all praise for Medvedev’s awareness of the game and his intelligence, in general.

“The more we play, the more I understand what I need to do win against him. But again, he keeps on improving. He is someone that is very committed and very devoted to the sport. I see the amount of time he spends trying to perfect these games. Very intelligent guy, in general. We get along very well”.

Djokovic is a huge favorite to win the year-end championships in Turin

It was not an easy task for Novak Djokovic to clinch the victory against Medvedev today, but the serve-and-volley tactic he brought to his service games made the difference and eventually put his opponent in the backseat.

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The 20-time major champion will head to year-end championships in Turin with an amplified confidence as he is the clear favorite to win that title as well.

However, Medvedev is the closest among the youngsters to pose a strong challenge to the Serb and he will fancy his chances against the world no.1 in Turin. The last big tournament of the year is all set to begin from the 14th of this month.

Also read: WATCH: Novak Djokovic’s Sweet Moment With His Kids After Clinching Rolex Paris Masters 2021