“That’s why I like to play him” – Medvedev on budding Sinner rivalry

On Wednesday night, Daniil Medvedev was soundly beaten by Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of the US Open. After reaching the final last year, the Russian will lose ranking points after falling at the last-eight hurdle.

Despite the nature of the loss, the former world No 1 was surprisingly upbeat in his post-match press conference, simply honouring the supreme level of his opponent.

Medvedev only managed to trouble Sinner for one set. After a slow start, he managed to get going in the second set before collapsing again in the third.

“I’m really not satisfied with my level in this match,” he said. 

“From my overall level, because I’ve had too many ups and downs. I’m not satisfied, but that’s tennis. I lost and I’m going home. I really had a bad first set, awful. Worse than the third.

“But I was able to solve my problems little by little and I took the second set, that’s the positive. The negative thing is that I didn’t manage to maintain this level.”

Despite this, Medvedev also praised his opponent, who has been in fine form this fortnight in New York.

“It’s hard to play against him. He’s number 1 and he deserves it. He always chooses the best shot at the right time, that’s why I like to play against him. It’s also a mental match.

“Our rivalry… It hasn’t been going my way lately. But tonight, I felt his tennis. I like this rivalry, it forces me to improve.”

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