“No Particular Reason”: Daniil Medvedev Calls Stefanos Tsitsipas His Greatest Rival

World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev reached the Australian Open final this year. In doing so, he beat some of the top players in his path during the tournament. However, he was unable to cross the final hurdle. The Russian fell victim to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. 

Recently, during an interview, Daniil Medvedev stated rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas as his greatest rival on Tour. The Russian player has played against World No. 6 on seven occasions and emerged victoriously on six counts. The most recent match between the two athletes was at the Australian Open last month and Daniil won the semifinal match in straight sets. 

Daniil Medvedev: “Always like to play against Stefanos Tsitsipas”

The 6ft 6 inches Russian star said, “My greatest rival is Stefanos Tsitsipas, with no particular reason. I always say I like to play against him.” Both players are playing in the Rotterdam Open 2021 this week. However, Daniil lost in the first round to Dusan Lajovic, whereas Stefanos is scheduled to play in the quarterfinal against another Russian talent, Karen Khachanov. 

If Daniil reached the final of the tournament, he would become to new World No. 2 in the men’s Tour. The Miami Open is scheduled later in March and Medvedev will aim to go the distance as it is the last hardcourt tournament before the focus shifts to the clay-court events. 

Reflecting on the Australian Open earlier, Daniil played brilliantly to reach the final, which was his best performance at the venue. On the other hand, Stefanos too had a tournament to remember. In the quarterfinal, he beat Rafael Nadal after being two sets down. He fought back and won the next three sets. 

At the moment, Tsitsipas will look to win his first ATP Rotterdam Open title and hand himself an added boost as the season progresses. 

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