"I'm going to have to be at my best from first to last point" - Daniil Medvedev gears up for tough battle against Andy Murray in Qatar Open final

Daniil Medvedev says he's preparing for a tough fight against three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the Qatar Open final on Sunday (February 26).

Having previously battled past Liam Broady and Chris O'Connell, Medvedev extended his win streak to eight after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals.

During a post-match press conference, Medvedev praised Murray's performances throughout the week. He added that the Brit's comeback victories from difficult positions were unbelievable, especially his win against Alexander Zverev in the second round of the tournament.

The Russian expressed that no one could have predicted the outcome when Murray was down 5-4, 40-0.

"Yeah, amazing. The way he played there, the way he won his matches, is just unbelievable. Today I don't think anyone could have thought about it when it was 5-4, 40-Love," he said.

"We do have sometimes comebacks in tennis, but usually not one tournament where you save three match points and you beat Zverev 7-5 in the third, save five more match points," he added.

Medvedev was very complimentary when speaking of the 35-year-old and said that he would have to be at his absolute best to get the win over him.

"Andy is amazing, and I'm going to have to be at my best from first to last point tomorrow to try to get the win, and I'm hoping for a great match," the Russian said.

He also praised Andy Murray for the manner of his win against Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals, given the Brit saved five match points on his way to victory.

“He’s a legend. He’s playing better and better, I feel like, not only here but in general. This is amazing to see. He’s fighting. Today was just unbelievable, the way he won, so I’m really happy to face him tomorrow," Daniil Medvedev said.

Daniil Medvedev explains his lopsided head-to-head with Felix Auger-Aliassime

Daniil Medvedev currently leads the head-to-head against Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0 following his Qatar Open semifinal win. He also ended the Canadian's title defense at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam last week.

When asked about his dominance over Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev said that tactically he may be a bad match-up for the Canadian. However, he highlighted his belief that head-to-heads don't determine the outcome of matches.

"But at the same time, you know, I always said that head-to-heads, every match is a new match. Big example, against Zverev, I was, if I'm not mistaken, 5-1 at one point for him, and then I made it 6-5 for my favor, and now it's 6-All, if I'm not mistaken," he said.

While acknowledging his 6-0 head-to-head record against Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev noted that every match is a new story and anything can happen. He expressed his happiness with his victories but recognized that they had some tough matches against the Canadian, including one at the 2022 Australian Open where Auger-Aliassime had match points over him.

"So it can change, for sure. But I'm happy for the moment to be six victories against him. Every time we play I'm going to try to win. But every match is a new story, and we had some tough matches. I mean, one time he was two sets to love up, had match points against me in Australia, tough opponent, and every match is going to be different story," he said.

Daniil Medvedev will face Andy Murray for the third time in his career on Sunday. He currently leads the head-to-head 2-0.