"Became more of a rival, but treatment off-court was the same": Daniil Medvedev recalls kindness of Novak Djokovic with 2017 Davis Cup story
ATPSaturday, 20 January 2024 at 22:00
Daniil
Medvedev revealed that Novak Djokovic invited him on his private jet during the
2017 Davis Cup when he was just starting his career and was ranked outside the
top 400. The Russian player has become one of 'Nole's' great rivals in the last
five years and reminisced about the noble gesture made by the 24-times Grand
Slam champion on their way to their first encounter.
Currently
ranked No. 3 in the world, Medvedev sailed through the third round, defeating
the 27th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, advancing
to the second week of the Australian Open for the 5th time in his career. He is
set to face the surprise contender Nuno Borges (No. 69). Medvedev dreams of
reaching the final of the tournament for the third time in his career and knows
that, if achieved, Djokovic is the most likely rival to conquer.
Djokovic's Gesture
In the
post-match press conference after an easy victory over Auger-Aliassime,
Medvedev discussed the always controversial Djokovic and revealed when he first
met him: “We were at practice, and Novak said, ‘ah, we play Davis Cup together
in a couple of days, are you going?’
I said
‘Yeah, I’m going’, to which Novak replied ‘When are you leaving?’, and I said
‘Saturday’. Novak said ‘You wanna come
with me [on my plane]’ and I’m a pretty shy person, so, at first, I said ‘no,
no’, I already had plane ticket with 1 stop and a 3 hour wait between flights.
“When the
practice with Novak finished, I was like ‘really Novak, I can come with you?’,
and he said ‘Yeah, of course’.”
“That’s
what some people don’t know about Novak, ok he can be tough on the court, just
like me, but when I met him the first time I was World #400, now I am #3, and I
was #1, and he always has treated me the same. I became more of a rival, but
the treatment off-court was the same.”
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Raducan'tdo and the media's love affair with her may be due to her looks. Since she does nothing for tennis, what else is going on with the 'love'?? She is best at maintaining a "presence" via anti-Social Media and maintaining her sponsorships.
mandoist14-09-2026 - As soon as someone makes a statement like this we are all waiting for the inevitable outcome of the EXACT OPPOSITE!!! He’s got a lot of work to do if you’re both the fitness AND mental coach and your client loses her mind when she’s losing.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- Endless intentional ball-bouncing is a ploy. Extended screaming in competition (but never, ever on the practice courts) is a ploy. Neither of these things are a "strategy". Bottom Line: WTA + ATP do not care. They consider these things free marketing and advertising issues.mandoist14-09-2026
- YAWN! Thank Dog for women’s tennis because the men’s tournament was quite boring. Not a fan of Zverev and Ben played poorly compared to his QF and SF matches.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- Congrats Rybakina! Hopefully she can keep the top ranking for the remainder of the year. Not sure why we need to keep mentioning Raducanu in these ranking posts. Your ranking will drop when you don’t play for months on end.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- "This of course a stark change to Rybakina who is obviously more timid..." That just may be the dumbest thing ever written about Lena. For a CCO, Mr. Gill seems to have either made an error in judgement -- or needed filler for this article -- to say something so ridiculous.mandoist13-09-2026
- “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
- I am sorry, but Sabalenka has NO EXCUSE for her despicable behaviour. She lacks self and mouth control! The message is being sent but Saba isn't getting it! She is full of arrogance and pride. Hopefully, after this defeat she will be on the way to becoming a humble lady LIKE ELENA! I hope she never regains the world No. 1 until she develops some humility.Rapunzel13-09-2026
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
Loading
