Daniil Medvedev on ‘crazy’ Novak Djokovic matches ahead of Dubai showdown: 'He wakes up something in me’

Sharing a fierce rivalry with someone you like and respect so much can be a complex scenario; but not for Daniil Medvedev, who admittedly wants to see Novak Djokovic succeed and smash records, yet has no qualms about stopping him from doing that himself. That was the case when Medvedev prevented Djokovic from completing the calendar-year Grand Slam in 2021 by defeating the Serb in the US Open final in straight sets. Ad The pair will square off for the 14th time on Friday, in the Dubai semi-finals, where one of their respective streaks will come to an end.

ATP DubaiDjokovic into Dubai semi-finals after navigating Hurkacz test17 HOURS AGO Djokovic is on a 20-match winning run, dating back to last November’s ATP Finals, and is a perfect 15-0 in 2023. Medvedev is looking to win his third title in as many weeks, and has won his last 12 consecutive matches, within a 17-day period. Their matches are typically gruelling affairs and have often come on the sport’s grandest stages.

“I like when Novak wins Slams, if of course he’s not playing me in one of the rounds,” Medvedev told eurosport.com on Thursday following his 6-3 6-2 quarter-final win over Borna Coric in Dubai. “I like many things about Novak, he was so kind to me since I was a kid, since I first met him when I was 480 in the world. He was always the same, no matter if I’m No.1 in the world or No.480 and I give him a lot of respect for this.