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Carlos Alcaraz is the most likely player to take over after the 'Big-3' era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic comes to an end, reckons Daniil Medvedev.
Speaking to the press after his 6-2, 6-2 win over Andrey Rublev in the final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday, Medvedev was asked for his thoughts on the players from the current generation that he was most excited about.
The Russian picked Alcaraz, pointing to how he managed to become the youngest World No. 1 last year after lifting his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. With the record even having eluded Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, Medvedev had no qualms about picking Alcaraz as the one to take over the mantle after their eventual retirements.
The former World No. 1 recalled watching him play at the Argentina Open, marveling at his talent and power. At the same time, Medvedev did not want to declare anything too soon, seeing as more promising careers than the Spaniard's have been derailed in the past due to injuries.
"Yeah, I have to say Alcaraz is the best pick because he is the youngest No. 1 in world history. We have guys like Novak [Djokovic], Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer], and he beat this record where you kind of thought that there are no more records to beat at the moment.
"I watched him in Buenos Aires, I didn't see it in real. The way he hits the ball, it's pure talent. You cannot really practice this. The power he has on the forehand. He can win a lot of things. But, as we saw, he can also lose sometimes. He can get injured. You never know how one career is going to go," Medvedev said.
Along with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev also picked Holger Rune as the most promising youngster on tour. Once again, the Russian inserted the same caveat -- that tennis was a strange game where careers were very hard to predict early.
"If you asked me, I need to pick him. Holger Rune is super young, has won already a Masters. Playing great also. I saw hum cramping today," Daniil Medvedev said. "Tennis is never easy. You never know how people's careers is going to go. If I have to pick them two, they are the youngest and the highest ranked."
"When you beat someone like Andrey 6-2, 6-2, you need to be happy and that's it" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev then touched on his own performance against Andrey Rublev in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, remarking that he was very happy with the way he played against a quality opponent.
Although he admitted that Rublev stepped up his level in the second set, the World No. 7 was glad he could match it without any issues, adding that he was even happier with the tactical adjustments he made in the right moments of the game.
"I think was great. Was great from my side. A lot of opportunities I had, I managed to make them. Second set he started playing better in the beginning, so I was like, Okay, just stay there and try to put pressure on him. I managed to break him. That's when it got tougher for him.
"Tactically I managed to play well. I managed to play aggressive when I needed to, some good passing shots. Really happy with the level. When you beat someone like Andrey 6-2, 6-2, you need to be happy and that's it," Daniil Medvedev said.
