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Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has said that he did not expect Russia's Daniil Medvedev to have a great career as he felt that he had the worst technique while he was playing at the junior level.
He said that Medvedev is now playing well on big courts and important tournaments, something that the Russian did not do when he was playing at the junior level. Medvedev, who won the US Open in 2021, is now ranked No. 3 on the ATP Tour.
“For me, a guy I thought was going to be horrific was Medvedev. I played against him in juniors in Roehampton and I won him by 6-3, 6-3. I was like the dominant junior and this boy was just terrible," Kyrgios told Eurosport in an interview.
The Australian, who finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022, said that Medvedev had a weird technique, which he thought the Russian should give up to ensure that things worked well for him.
"He had the worst technique I've ever seen in my life. I honestly said that this guy should just give it up, that there was no way he was going to make it work with those things," Kyrgios said.
But Medvedev's career turned out to be much better than what Kyrgios expected, with the Russian becoming the top-ranked player in the world and winning the US Open. Medvedev rose to No. 1 on the ATP Tour in February 2022, a position he held for 16 weeks in two spells during the year.
"Then he becomes number one in the world and a Grand Slam champion. It's very funny, he was a nutter as well, like this just is crazy," Kyrgios told Eurosport. "Now you see Medvedev and he feels very comfortable playing on big courts, something I never saw when we were juniors," he said.
Daniil Medvedev on feeling 'at peace': "I know where I'm going, I know what I have to do in life"
Daniil Medvedev reflected on his personal life and his tennis career, stating that he is happy and is clear about what he needs to do as a player. The Russian said that his family life and on-court success contributed to his happiness during a post-match press conference at the ongoing Australian Open.
"I feel like I know where I'm going. I know what I have to do in life," he said at the interaction after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the third round. "Honestly, I felt like I was always a happy person in life. I think now even more," he said.
Though doubts often crop up, Daniil Medvedev said he is committed to fulfilling his long-term goals. He beat unseeded Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 to book his place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Monday.
"I know what I want to do. I know what goals I have and how I want to achieve them," the Russian commented.
