"Stole Novak Djokovic's pusher style, made 30 million in a span of 4 years" - Daniil Medvedev's previous 'power' claim amuses fans

Daniil Medvedev’s previous claims about his “non-defensive” style have resurfaced, and taken tennis fans by surprise. Many have dismissed the Russian’s notion and instead drawn parallels between his and Novak Djokovic’s techinques.

In a video from 2017, a then 21-year-old Medvedev was asked to describe his playing style. At the time, the Russian declared that he was more of a ‘power’ player.

“My tennis is more about the power, I would say. I like to dictate the game. And I don’t like to run and be defensive,” the 2021 US Open champion said in the video.

It is worth noting that Daniil Medvedev has since become famous for his unorthodox tennis and his ability to chase down balls and prolong rallies. Several tennis fans were thus surprised to hear Medvedev's seemingly contradictory analysis of his game.

Some teased the former World No. 1 by hinting that he was being delusional in the video.

“This is Daniil’s version of ‘I want to be an astronaut when I grow up,’” one fan joked.

Another fan hilariously opined that the Russian abandoned his original aggressive game when it failed to take off, and made a living by adopting Novak Djokovic’s “pusher” style.

“LOOOOOOOOOL when he was a flop basher! bro stole Djokovic pusher game style and made 30 million dollars in a span of 4 years,” the fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

Medvedev, who won his first career title in January 2018 at the Sydney International, has since added 19 different trophies to his cabinet since then. Thanks to his on-court sucess, the former World No. 1 has raked in a staggering $35,840,061 in prize money till date.

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Daniil Medvedev on his 2023 campaign: "I'm happy with what I achieved this season"

Daniil Medvedev was defeated by Novak Djokovic his career's fifth Grand Slam final at the 2023 US Open

After a disappointing 2022 season, Daniil Medvedev turned the page during his 2023 campaign.

The Russian, who was the 2022 Australian Open runner-up, briefly dropped out of the ATP Top 10 courtesy an early exit in Melbourne this year. He, however, made a noteworthy recovery and regained the lost ranking points in the weeks that followed.

The Russian produced a three-title winning streak, clinching trophies at the ATP Rotterdam, the Qatar Open, and the Dubai Tennis Championships on the trot. He continued his rich vein of form in the next two tournaments as well, reaching the final in Indian Wells and lifting the title in Miami.

Medvedev’s fifth and final title of the season came at the Masters 1000 in Rome, which was also his first-ever claycourt title.

The World No. 3’s other notable achievements in 2023 were making the finals in Beijing and Vienna, as well as reaching a third final at the US Open.

Daniil Medvedev concluded his season with the most match wins on the ATP tour (66). His final match of the year was a loss to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the ATP Finals.

The Russian summarized his 2023 season as a positive one.

“Proud of myself because before Rotterdam I dropped out of top 10. Was tough. Before Rotterdam on practice, I was feeling terrible, awful. I couldn't put the ball in the court,” Medvedev recalled in his ATP finals presser.

The 27-year-old vowed to push harder next season to keep up with the competition.

“I'm happy with what I achieved this season. I'm going to try to learn from it and try to go for more in the next season because, as we say, Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak, they play only better and better. If you want to try to stay on the top, have to improve non-stop,” he added.