Playing Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic is already a tough task. Doing it on their preferred surfaces makes the challenge almost impossible, but which one would Daniil Medvedev prefer if he had to choose?
The Russian was asked the question following his 6-4, 6-2 win over Brandon Nakashima in the second round at Indian Wells on Friday.
Rafael Nadal: The King of Clay
While he has never played Nadal on clay, where the Spaniard has notably won the French Open a record 14 times, he unsurprisingly finds the challenge extremely daunting and scary.
“I didn’t play Rafa on clay. Rafa on clay is probably the worst and best challenge in tennis,” Medvedev is quoted as saying on Tennis 365.”When I say ‘worst’, it’s because he lost, what, I don’t know, 10 matches? I’m not even sure he lost 10. I mean, last years he was losing a little bit more in tournaments like Rome and Monte-Carlo.
“But, yeah, I will be honest, I’m scared to play Rafa on clay. In a way I want to try it, and for sure I will fight to win, but that must be scary to go out against Rafa on clay.”
Novak Djokovic: The King of Hard Courts
Equally as challenging is playing Djokovic on the hard courts, especially in Australia where he is a 10-time winner of the Australian Open.
Medvedev does hold some hard court wins over Djokovic, but has suffered defeat in every match played in Australia.
“Novak I managed to beat him few times. But again, that’s two guys who have 22 Grand Slams. Yeah, I would say, you know what? Novak in Australia is tough. I had few, I would say, I lost probably four times against him, four or five there. Didn’t win once even though some of them were close battles, especially ATP Cup or the first time I played him in the Australian Open.
“But thinking back of these matches, I don’t know why there he plays, in my opinion, better than on other continents or courts. But, that’s tough, same like Rafa on clay, he barely loses there. Tough challenges, and I hope I can do it one day in my career.”
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