Denis Shapovalov has 'mad respect' for Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev following the former's defense of his compatriot against Stefanos Tsitsipas

Daniil Medvedev defended his friend and compatriot Andrey Rublev against claims leveled at him by Stefanos Tsitsipas during the 2022 ATP Finals. Denis Shapovalov expressed his admiration for the pair following Medvedev's speech.

Daniil Medvedev defeated defending champion Andrey Rublev in the Dubai Tennis Championships final 6-2, 6-2 to lift his third consecutive trophy in three weeks. With the win, he replaced Rublev as the World No. 6 and the highest-ranked Russian player on tour.

During the trophy presentation, Medvedev defended Andrey Rublev against comments made by Stefanos Tsitsipas after he lost to the Russian in the 2022 ATP finals.

After congratulating Rublev for his performance in the tournament, the former World No. 1 said that he was shocked to hear Stefanos Tsitsipas say that Rublev only had a few weapons in his arsenal. He praised his compatriot's skill and said that he had the potential to win Grand Slams.

“I just want to say that I remember not long ago, one player said that he has just a few weapons, and I was reading this and I was like, ‘How can you say this?’ Andrey is one of the most skilful players on the tour, he just didn’t exploit fully his potential but I’m sure that he can win Grand Slams,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev also expressed hope that Rublev would defeat Tsitsipas in future matches.

“Hopefully he can beat this guy, who said it, many, many times, and I wish this for sure,” he said.

Denis Shapovalov revealed his admiration for the two finalists following Medvedev's speech.

"Mad respect for both guys," Shapovalov commented.

Andrey Rublev hails Daniil Medvedev as a "real champion" following his title win in Dubai

Medvedev and Rublev at the Dubai Tennis Championships

During the trophy presentation, Andrey Rublev expressed his great respect for Daniil Medvedev, stating that he was a real champion and an inspiration for other players.

"I never said this to Daniil face to face, but I have a huge respect for him, he is a real champion, real inspiration for the players," Rublev said.

Rublev also shared that he and Medvedev had known each other since childhood and that despite not having much financial support, the Russian never complained and continued to work hard, eventually proving himself to be a true champion.

We know each other since we were kids, and Daniil didn't have much financial support, and I never heard him say he was unlucky. He was just working hard and he proved that he is a real champion," he added.

Daniil Medvedev brought some levity back to the emotionally charged moment by pretending to wipe tears from his eyes following Rublev's speech.

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will be back in action at the Indian Wells Masters, scheduled to begin on March 11.