According to world number three Daniil Medvedev, the return of Rafael Nadal will bring a big challenge to players on the ATP Tour next season.
"It's always very difficult to beat Nadal," Medvedev said in an interview after winning the World Tennis League team title in Abu Dhabi on December 24. "For me, matches against Nadal ended worse than against Djokovic, in some ways."
Nadal and Medvedev at the 2022 Australian Open awards ceremony, where the Spaniard won 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 after 5 hours of play. Photo: ATP
Medvedev lost to Nadal in the 2022 Australian Open final despite winning two sets. The Russian admitted he did not know what state his senior was in, but appreciated Nadal's experience and spirit. He said: "It seems like Nadal is coming back quite well, and that is great for tennis."
Along with Nadal, Medvedev believes the competition in 2024 will be fiercer as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner mature. "I fell out of the top 10 last season, so you can imagine how fierce the ATP Tour is," the 27-year-old said. "At the beginning of the season, Tsitsipas was in the Australian Open final. He and some other players can come back and beat me or anyone else."
Medvedev won five titles in 2023 but could not win the second Grand Slam when he lost to Novak Djokovic at the US Open. Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud were two other defeats to Nole in Grand Slam finals last season. Alcaraz is the only one to beat Djokovic in four major tournaments, when he defeated his senior in the Wimbledon final.
"I want to continue to find my limits," Medvedev added. "I will try to train and overcome the physical and mental fatigue at the end of the season."
Vy Anh
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