Daniil Medvedev is, by his own merits, one of the great stars of the US Open 2021. That is why he opened this Friday the media day in New York amid great expectation for their opinions and aspirations for this year’s edition, in which only Novak Djokovic will represent the Big Three in the absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. The number two in the world, finalist in 2019 when he fell in five sets against the Spanish, he looks with options to be champion, over the Serbian, leader of the ranking threatened precisely by Medvedev.
“Once again, we are here to not let him win the US Open. I speak only for myself when I say that I want to win the US Open. I do not care if it is in the final against a rival from the previous one or against Novak. I just want to win this tournament, “said the Muscovite when asked if he or Zverev, Tsitsipas or he would be able to end Djokovic’s unstoppable march in the Grand Slams. “We all know that Novak is a very strong player, one of the best in history. That is why in whatever tournament he is in, be it a major or a Futures or an ATP, he is a great contender, the great favorite”, clarified Daniil, who comes from winning in Toronto and being a semifinalist in Cincinnati.
Medvedev feels more prepared to win his first major Slam after being runner-up at the US Open 2019 and the Australian Open 2021. “Yes, definitely, I have much higher expectations than before, because I remember 2019 very well. My best Slam result so far had been the fourth round in Melbourne. Now I have already played two finals. Yes, I need to win, to make a better result. In Toronto and Cincinnati, with the same balls (Wilson), the same hot and humid conditions I played well. I just want to continue at that level. When I play well, I know that I can cause problems for my opponents. That is the most important”.