"Fooled the man himself I'm crying" - Tennis fans hysterical as Daniil Medvedev posts childhood picture with Andrey Rublev unaware of its credibility

Daniil Medvedev’s latest social media post, consisting of a picture with his compatriot and friend Andrey Rublev, has left the internet in splits.

After defeating Novak Djokovic and setting up a final against Rublev at the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships, Medvedev posted a picture of the duo that was supposedly from their days as juniors. The two Russians can be seen in one frame, holding two very similar trophies, with Medvedev's being gold and Rublev's silver.

Notably, neither of them is smiling in the picture despite their seemingly significant achievement.

Joking about their feelings for each other as kids, Daniil Medvedev made a sarcastic comment to prepare fans for what’s to come in the Dubai final.

But while the two countrymen played each other numerous times during their junior days, the picture Medvedev posted was an edit made by a fan (Twitter handle: '@glittersquirrel') who morphed two different photos together.

Tennis fans were hysterical as Medvedev seemed oblivious to his goof-up, and shared their reactions about the hilarious incident.

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev set up a 7th career meeting in Dubai

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will lock horns for the seventh time in their careers on Saturday (March 4), in the final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships.

The duo's head-to-head thus far favors Medvedev 4-2. But Rublev has been the one on the winning side in their last two encounters, with the latest coming in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals.

This will be Rublev’s first final of the season, where he will look to lift his 13th career title. Medvedev, meanwhile, will be looking for his 18th career title, while also completing a hat-trick of trophy wins. The 2021 US Open champion has had a sensational month in February, winning consecutive titles in Rotterdam and Qatar.

Regardless of the result, the Dubai Tennis Championships will have a Russian champion for the third time in a row. Aslan Karatsev clinched the trophy in 2021, which was followed by Rublev himself lifting it in 2022.

About the author

Pranjali is a tennis journalist and content specialist at Sportskeeda, having been with the company for almost two years. With a Master's degree, she proudly embraces her inner "data nerd" and uses her expertise to analyze the stats that make tennis more exciting.

She keeps a tab on the players' press conferences and interviews to ensure she is up to date with the latest in the world of tennis. Pranjali has garnered over 10 million reads across her 1500+ articles and is the author of Sportskeeda's most-read tennis article to date.

While her childhood idol is Rafael Nadal, Pranjali acknowledges Novak Djokovic's supremacy as the GOAT when it comes to numbers and admires Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff for their diverse playing styles. When she is not deep in the tennis world, Pranjali unwinds with dancing, painting, and fashion, and also likes solving puzzles, quizzes, and complex math problems to keep her mind sharp.

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