Medvedev's new mantra: Got defeated? Praise the victor!

Russia’s tennis star Daniil Medvedev has praised Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and believes he is one of the most complete players he has played against. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players in men’s tennis, along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev recently suffered a defeat to Alcaraz in the semifinal of Wimbledon 2024 with a score of 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Talking after the match, the 28-year-old not only heaped praise on the three-time Grand Slam winner but also stated that he is one of the most complete players he has played against.

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Medvedev further highlights that Alcaraz differs from the original ‘Big Three’ players as they have one strong aspect of their game, whereas the young Spaniard can do all things equally well. “I don’t think Carlos has anything from them [Big Three],” he said. “It’s a different game style. I think where Carlos is different from many players, we all have our preferences, some prefer defense, some prefer counter attack, some prefer to be super aggressive. He can do all of it. He can sometimes slice, even a bad slice and then run and try to win like this.”

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Alcaraz’s win on Friday sets up a mouthwatering rematch of last year’s final at Wimbledon as he will again face the world number two Serbia’s Djokovic in the grand finale on Sunday. The 37-year-old, who is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, booked his spot in the final after beating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6, 6-4. Last year, when the two faced off in an epic five-set thrilling finale, Alcaraz came out on top with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.