Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 9, 2024
The relationship between Daniel Medvedev again Stefanos Tsitsipas it was very bad from the beginning. Their first meeting in Miami in 2018 went viral due to bad blood, and in the following years it remained frozen.
But these days, thanks to some quality time spent on the same Laver Cup team, and the wisdom that comes with age, the pair are in a much better place.
Tsitsipas spoke about his feelings for the former World No.1 this week, ahead of their round of 16 match in Shanghai (won by Medvedev, 7-6 (3), 6-3 – highlights below).
“I consider him a person I respect on the tour, more than before,” said Tsitsipas. “We’ve had some tense things in court in the past, but I think those things have resolved themselves over time, and obviously we’ve had time to talk about those things and have a common understanding of why these things happen.”
26-year-old Tsitsipas says it’s better to put bad blood behind him. Here’s how he explained it.
“I always want to solve things like this, I don’t want to leave them,” he said. “It took a while, obviously, a really long time, but it’s good to get it out of the way, and make sure our tennis brings peace instead of war. It’s a war zone when you’re out on the court trying, obviously, to fight as hard as you can and obviously trying to win, but I feel that tennis should come together instead of dividing. ”
Tsitsipas says he has grown fond of Medvedev’s tennis over the years, and admits he didn’t always see the beauty of the Russian game.
“I think there are many things that he has brought to this game, that I can think of, that are not normal, because you have never seen many players in the past, playing the way he plays,” he said. . “Actually, after thinking about it, in the past I might have said bad things about his game, but after thinking about those things, I think I was completely wrong about that.
“There are many interesting things in his game that are very different from other players. I think that’s what makes him unique as a player, because you don’t see players like him very often, and it gives tennis another level in terms of how it can be played and how it can be built differently. So, this is something that he has given us so far in the game, and I think many generations will remember that.”
