"I had to pump myself up" - Medvedev reveals key behind win over Brooksby

Daniil Medvedev moved to within one victory of reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings Tuesday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, overcoming Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-1.

The 26-year-old, who is making his fourth appearance in Florida, rallied from 3-5 in the first set as he soaked up Brooksby’s variety of shots in a controlled performance to advance into the quarter-finals after 80 minutes. He praised his opponent after the match:

“Jenson has the potential to be a top player. He is really good and plays better than his ranking. I knew it was not going to be an easy match. I had no solutions at the beginning. The crucial moment was when I managed to make him serve for the set and he got a little bit tight and I played a bit better.”

The top seed is bidding to win his first trophy of the season this week, having reached the final at the Australian Open and the last four at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. Medvedev was a bit down to start the match as he admitted after the match that he needed to pump himself up a bit:

“Sometimes I am not that intense on court, so today I tried to pump myself up. I had to try and close it out as fast as possible. I had to fight for every point.”