'Roger Federer beat me in the past, but I'm a better player now,' said Daniil Medvedev

World no. 3 Daniil Medvedev is preparing for his first match at the Madrid Open, facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round and hoping to score at least one victory on the surface he doesn't like.

In his pre-tournament interview, Medvedev mentioned Roger Federer and three encounters he played against him in 2018 and 2019. The Russian said that he is a better player now, and he also understands it's not the same to beat Roger Federer now or in his prime years around 2006.

Roger and Daniil met for the first time in Shanghai 2018, and Roger prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 thanks to three breaks on his tally. A few weeks later in Basel, the Swiss scored a dominant 6-1, 6-4 triumph in 65 minutes, getting broken once and controlling the pace on the return to race over the finish line. Their most recent clash came in Miami 2019 when Federer needed 62 minutes to dismiss the youngster 6-4, 6-2.

"When I played against Roger in 2018 and 2019, I was a worse player than now, which doesn't mean anything. If I beat him now, it wouldn't be the same as when he was 25. He remains a fantastic player and an idol to everyone," Daniil Medvedev said.