Daniil Medvedev laments Novak Djokovic existence after crushing US Open final defeat
Daniil Medvedev was hurt after losing to Novak Djokovic in the final of the US Open
REUTERS
Daniil Medevev has lamented the existence of Novak Djokovic after losing to the Serb in the final of the US Open on Sunday night.
The Russian went down 3-6, 6-7, 3-6 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Medvedev gave his all and was close to winning the second set, only for Djokovic to up the ante and eventually close out the match.
Speaking after his loss in America, Medevev hailed Djokovic - but did rue the existence of both the 36-year-old and Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic was hailed by Daniil Medvedev after their US Open final showdown
REUTERS
"When we first played I was probably 500th in the world. And he was super kind to me," said Medvedev.
"Nothing special, but he treated me like a normal person. And he still does.
"Nothing changed: 24, 30, 12 Grand Slams? Nothing changes.
"And I think that's something great about a person you can say."
Reflecting on when he beat Djokovic to win the US Open in 2021, he added: "From one side I can say, and really I find this amazing, that I beat Novak in a Grand Slam final, which probably at this moment is the pinnacle of my career.
"At the same time, maybe if he and Rafa [Nadal] didn't exist...
"I played five finals against them and I managed to win one. I don't know if it's good or bad.
"But you know, [Djokovic] pushes me to be better."
Medevev then rued his failure to win the second set, admitting Djokovic claiming it instead changed the match.
"Should have won it, but sometimes tennis is not that easy," continued the 27-year-old.
"Second set was the best set I played and I didn't win it. So that's why it's kind of normal that the match went that way.
"Because first and third he was kind of better and not much to say.
"If I'd won the second, it maybe could have been a different game. If I wanted to win the match, I had to win that set."
And the Russian also conceded it was exhausting to play against Djokovic less than 48 hours after overcoming Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
"It's not easy to repeat, because against Carlos I played one of the best matches of my life.
"I mean, against Novak here two years ago, it's kind of in the same category. It's not that easy to repeat it day in, day out."
As for Djokovic, the Serb has made it clear he has no plans to retire from tennis in the wake of his win.
"I'm going to keep going. You know, I feel good in my own body," he said.
"I still feel I've got the support of my environment, of my team, of my family.
"The Grand Slams, I have said in the last few years, have been always the highest goal and the priority of mine in the whole season.
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"I don't play as much in terms of other tournaments, so I try to prioritise my preparation so that I can peak in slams.
"These are the moments and these are the kind of emotions that I motivate myself with every single day when I'm not playing a tournament.
"Yeah, occasionally I ask myself 'why do I need this still at this stage after all I have done, you know? How long do I want to keep going?' I do have these questions in my head, of course.
"But knowing that I play at such a high level still, and I win the biggest tournaments in this sport, I don't want to leave this sport if I’m still at the top, you know, if I'm still playing the way I'm playing."
He added: “Eventually one day I will leave tennis in about 23, 24 years. And there is going to be new young players coming up. Until then, I guess you’ll see me a bit more.”