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Daniil Medvedev downed Andy Murray in straight sets to win his second title in as many weeks. However, that did not make the Brit any less of a legend in the eyes of the former World No. 1.
Murray's dream run to the final of the 2023 Qatar Open came to an end at the hands of the Russian, who won 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. With the win, Medvedev added to his title haul at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam last week.
Speaking at his press conference after the win, he was all praise for his opponent, remarking that he was "just happy" to see Murray on the other side of the net in a final once again.
In addition to the Brit "legend," the 27-year-old also brought up Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the recently retired Roger Federer, pointing out that he had always enjoyed playing against all of them.
"You know, talking about, like, new generation, old generation, well, I'm 27, so I don't think I'm any more new generation. I'm like medium. So just, yeah, was just happy to see Andy on the other side of the net because he's such a legend," Daniil Medvedev said.
"It's every time I play against him, Novak, Roger, well, not anymore, Rafa, it's just amazing feeling. It's amazing atmosphere all the time. I was happy to share this final with him."
Regarding their match, Daniil Medvedev admitted that he knew it was going to be very tough, especially because of the slow conditions in Doha. With Murray and him both being players who were grinders on the court, the World No. 8 pointed out that he had to "struggle" a lot to win points on the night.
"I knew it's gonna be tough, especially with the conditions here, quite slow with balls that get super, super fluffy. So at one moment it's like you feel like you're throwing, I don't know how to call it in English, but when you throw a big heavy ball," Medvedev said.
"And it was tough for both of us, and it's tough to make a point. Just have to run, to struggle. That's what he likes to do, that's what I like to do. So I knew it's going to be a tough match."
"Right now I'm feeling great, and I want to try to continue feeling this way" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev went on to declare that he was feeling "great" after winning back-to-back trophies, stating that they gave him a lot of confidence heading into bigger tournaments.
He added that he was eager about the challenges that lay ahead of him, but was content for now. The Russian said that he wanted to keep feeling the same way as the 2023 season continues to unfold.
"To be honest, every time you get a title, you feel great and you feel like this winning feeling is back, you are back, you can get even bigger titles, even bigger wins. But that's all about confidence, and confidence, as it can go really fast, it can go away really fast with one loss," Daniil Medvedev said.
"So I feel great right now at the moment. I have a tournament to play next week, so it's a new week, a new challenge, and then we go to USA to the other part of the world, jet lag, everything. Right now I'm feeling great, and I want to try to continue feeling this way."
