Daniil Medvedev says the "little kid" inside him would have been "very happy" after becoming World No. 1

In a recent interview with Tennis Channel, Daniil Medvedev revealed that the "little kid" inside him would be "really happy" after he achieved the World No. 1 ranking last month.

The Russian also stated that if given a chance to relive his Australian Open final loss to Rafael Nadal, he would probably say yes despite the disappointing result.

Daniil Medvedev reached the pinnacle of the ATP rankings after the Mexican Open last month, dethroning Novak Djokovic from the top spot. Although the Russian's stint as World No. 1 was short-lived (just three weeks), he created history by becoming the first player other than Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to climb to the top spot since 2004.

During the interview, Medvedev was asked how the 'little kid' inside him would feel about achieving the No. 1 ranking. Medvedev responded by saying the kid would be delighted. He also spoke about how his perspective has changed as he's matured.

"He [the little kid] would be really happy. You know, I mean when you grow up, you change some of the perspectives I would say. Maybe sometimes, you have to remember this little kid who was dreaming. Even let's say the Australian Open final which was a tough moment, if I would know about it in six years and they would ask me if you wanna live this moment or would prefer not to live it and not have this disappointment and everything, probably, I would say I want to live it still," said Medvedev.

"I just made some conclusions about myself, of about let's say, tennis in general and I just started to change some perspectives but yeah, this kid will be very happy," added the World No. 2.

Daniil Medvedev beats Andy Murray in the second round of the Miami Masters

Daniil Medvedev with Andy Murray at the 2022 Miami Open

Daniil Medvedev beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Miami Open on Saturday. Despite the nature of the win, the Russian said that playing against the former World No. 1 was "never easy." He emphasized that he had to maintain his focus throughout the match and was happy with his performance.

"It's never easy when you play Andy. I mean, yeah, after the match, when you win 6-4, 6-2, you can say that probably I had some margin, but you know, that's tennis, I mean, so many matches where one guy is leading, seems like a comfortable win and then two hours later, you be like no way he's lost. That's what tennis is about," Medvedev said.

"From the first to last point of the match, I had to be there, managed to serve pretty well, managed to win some points, and yeah, I am happy about my level," concluded the 26-year-old.

Medvedev will regain the top spot in the rankings if he reaches the semifinals of the Miami Open. He will square off against Pedro Martinez in the third round of the Masters 1000 tournament on Monday.

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Also Check Out: Miami Open 2022 Results