Daniil Medvedev emerged victorious in a showdown of fatigued top players, securing a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Tommy Paul in Beijing on Friday.
Daniil Medvedev says that the toughest part of the tennis grind is the early stages of a first round match.
He appeared to be the player who was most dialled in during the first round battle that lasted just 81 minutes.
Daniil Medvedev hit some crisp shots and would make just three unforced errors in the match.
However, he said that the scoreline wasn’t a reflection of just how tough a match it was for Medvedev who has only just touched down in China.
“It’s not easy for both of us. Both of us a little jet lagged. Him maybe more, coming from Vancouver,” reflected Medvedev. “Maybe that made the difference, but if I think only about myself, I’m happy with my level.
“I played great. The start of the match was not easy, but it’s never easy first round, especially in another part of the world. Then I was playing better and better during the match, so I’m happy about my level.”
Medvedev has won more matches on hard courts than any other player on the ATP Tour this season but he isn’t taking anything for granted in his Beijing debut.
“It’s my first time in Beijing. The tournament is super strong. So if you win it, it’s great. It’s a great memory. It’s great for the confidence. There are still some important tournaments to come, so the better you play the end of the season, the better you play the beginning of the next one,” Medvedev said during a pre-tournament press conference.
“The motivation is to try to do all this, to continue proving to yourself that you can win these big tournaments, big titles, against big opponents.”
Daniil Medvedev derailed Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title defence and says he hopes he gets the chance to face the world No 2 again in Beijing.
“I think if we face each other, we are both happy, we are both in the final,” Medvedev said.
“That’s a good goal, to try to make this happen.
“At the same time, as I said, so many good players. It’s tough. It’s like an ATP Masters 1000 here or a Grand Slam. In a way it’s even stronger than a Grand Slam, where you don’t have first rounds, where you maybe can get into the tournament, which sometimes can be the case in a Grand Slam… I think we’re going to see a lot of different results where the seeded players can lose and stuff like this because first rounds are never easy.”
