“Was Complaining To My Wife”: Daniil Medvedev Wasn’t Confident of Winning Rolex Paris Masters

As two contenders bid for their first Rolex Paris Masters title, it was Daniil Medvedev who emerged as the winner in a fierce battle. The Russian registered a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, victory against Alexander Zverev to pick up his third career Masters 1000 title. 

Both athletes entered the finals on the back of straight-set victories in the semi-finals. Zverev delivered a stunning result by ousting #1 seed Rafael Nadal, while Medvedev breezed past Milos Raonic to book a ticket to the championship match. 

On a night that demanded immense focus, it was Medvedev who edged out Zverev in that battle. His steady service gave him confidence right from the start, and the 24-year-old won 75% of his first-serve points.

However, Medvedev wasn’t feeling too confident coming into the Paris Bercy tournament and even revealed that he groaned to his wife about the same. 

“Before the tournament I was not in my best form, playing not so [good] with 0 finals,” Medvedev said. “I was actually complaining to my wife, like: ‘Oh my god, I don’t have the level. I don’t even have one final. I’m playing so bad, blah blah.’ Finally I’m the winner of Bercy.”

On the other hand, Zverev too had showcased his terrific serving skills in Paris, but he fell short of the finishing line in the third and deciding set. The German was largely overpowered by Medvedev’s fourteen aces in the match. 

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Daniil Medvedev delivered with elegance when it mattered 

The first set began on equal footing, with both players not allowing a break in their service game. However, Zverev showcased tremendous grit in Medvedev’s final service game by breaking him to clinch the first set.

Medvedev carried out a similar result in the second set and won it 6-4. With this, he seemed to gain tremendous confidence in the match. The very first game of the third set was Zverev’s to serve, but Medvedev steamrolled past him without allowing the German to notch up a point. 

This set the tone for the rest of the match. The Russian went on to break Zverev’s serve on every occasion in the third set except one. This pretty much sealed the deal for Daniil Medvedev, who was overjoyed with winning his first-ever Rolex Paris Masters title.

The victory also marks a personal climb for Daniil Medvedev against Zverev, as he had just one win against him in six matches. Furthermore, the 2019 Wimbledon finalist upgrades his title tally to eight with his win in Paris.