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.
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.”
2017 Davis Cup - The beginning of a rivalry Djokovic d. Medvedev 3-6 6-4 6-1 1-0 RET Djokovic: 'Medvedev is a terrific young player and it’s a pity he had to retire because of cramps. I am sure he will enjoy lots of success on the ATP Tour if he carries on working hard' 🔮
