"I'm still disappointed because Rafael Nadal one was close, closer than Jannik Sinner match" - Daniil Medvedev on his Australian Open 2022 final loss

Daniil Medvedev has yet to move on from his loss to Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open 2022.

Medvedev is currently in the United Arab Emirates to defend his Dubai Tennis Championships title. He has already advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexander Shevchenko on Tuesday, February 27.

This was notably his first success on the court since losing the Australian Open 2024 final to Jannik Sinner a month ago. Medvedev lost the title clash in Australia to Sinner despite taking a 2-0 lead, with the scoreline at the end reading 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Italian's favor.

Notably, the Russian had lost in the final of the Melbourne Major two years ago in a similar fashion when he played against Rafael Nadal, who defeated him 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

After his win over Shevchenko on Tuesday in Dubai, Medvedev sat down for a conversation with the media. One of the journalists in the press room asked him if the loss to Nadal in 2022 served as a 'big lesson'.

"I don't know, because for sure I'm still disappointed because that one was close. Closer than the Jannik match. Also mentally with the crowd and this and that. Somewhere in the match I really felt like I'm there, not that I have to win it, but I was really close in my mind," Medvedev replied

"Not sure it's even a lesson. I would prefer not to have this lesson. But in life not everything goes as you prefer. So this happened. I have to go on from it. I would say I hope that it was a lesson and I can take anything from it. Even if not, I just have to forget it and go," Daniil Medvedev added.

---

Daniil Medvedev to face Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in Dubai Tennis Championships 2R

Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev is scheduled to clash with Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships 2024.

Medvedev has the upper hand over Sonego with a lead of 2-0 in their head-to-head tally thus far. He played against Sonego for the first time in 2023 at Adelaide 1. The match notably ended prematurely as Sonego retired when he trailed 7-6(6), 2-1.

He clashed with Sonego again a few months later at the Monte-Carlo Masters and secured a 6-3, 6-2 win. In his opener at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Sonego downed India's Sumit Nagal 6-4, 7-5, 6-1.