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Daniil Medvedev recalled his matches against compatriot Karen Khachanov when they were both younger. Medvedev and Khachanov are set to face each other in the third round of the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters.
Medvedev started his Monte-Carlo Masters campaign in the second round having received a first-round bye. The former World No. 1 faced veteran Gael Monfils and defeated the Frenchman 6-2, 6-4. At one point during the second set, Monfils led the Russian 4-1. However, Medvedev roared back into the contest and won the next five games to wrap up the match.
Khachanov, seeded 15th in Monte-Carlo, defeated Cameron Norrie in the first round before triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 over Francisco Cerundolo.
Following his win over Monfils, Medvedev was asked about his memories of playing against Khachanov when they were both around 9, 10 years old. The 28-year-old revealed how he disliked playing against his compatriot.
"Oh, my God. Talking about crazy, when I was younger I didn't like to play Karen. Now it's never, like, I don't like to play someone or I like to play someone. I think I lost maybe two, won four, I don't know exactly. When I was young I really didn't like to play him," Daniil Medvedev said at a press conference.
The 2021 US Open champion went on to say that Khachanov used to be a much better player than him. He also spoke about the frustrations he would encounter when he played against Khachanov, which would sometimes boil over and result in code violations.
"At one point he was really better than me, so I was going crazy. I was getting, like, you know, code violations and stuff, because I was just not controlling myself well enough," Medvedev added.
Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov will face each other for the seventh time on the ATP Tour in Monte-Carlo
Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov have met six times so far on the ATP Tour. Medvedev currently leads 5-1 in the head-to-head between the two. Khachanov's only victory against the World No. 4 came in the semifinals of the 2018 Kremlin Cup.
Their most recent clash came in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Erste Bank Open in Vienna. Medvedev won the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It was Medvedev's 63rd win during the 2023 season, equalling his career-best season total, which he achieved in 2021.
So far this season, Medvedev has 19 wins out of 23 matches. The Russian is also aiming to reach his third final of the year after finishing as runner-up at the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Khachanov has won 14 out of 20 matches so far in 2024.
