Friendship exists in tennis, but how do friends cope when they meet each other on the court more frequently? The popular friendship between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has always ended with one ending up with the trophy and the other in disappointment. Yet, each of the 40 times the duo met, they always maintained their friendship and support.
In the modern era, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are two of the closest friends on the ATP Tour, so much so that Rublev is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter Alisa. However, the duo has met nine times, with Medvedev leading 7-2.
Andrey Rublev spends time with Medvedev’s baby girl
Before Daniil Medevedev win over best friend and fellow Russian Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin, the 26-year-old star hanged out with Medvedev’s daughter Alisa Rublev is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter yet across their nine Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, they have also become familiar foes on the court.
Medvedev, who leads the series 7-2 in duo meeting, says he is able to put their relationship to one side in between the lines. “To be honest, on court, I don’t know how it is for him — for me on court, doesn’t exist, friends, enemies. I just try to win the match. I don’t think about anything else.”
“But when the last point is finished, it’s like I feel sorry for him, he lost the match. But it’s the same for him. If he beats me, I mean, last year was brutal when he beat me [in Turin]. So I felt for one or two days he was kind of shy to talk to me, taking care. It’s the same. You always try to look at him and see if tomorrow we can talk like normal. I’m going to say to him good luck, go for it the next matches, and he’s probably going to say the same.”
The close friends treated the Turin crowd to a breathtaking match full of lung-busting rallies, with Medvedev saving seven break points in the opening set and Tennis fans are hopeful that the friendship brings Alisa to the court more frequent and bonds them together in happiness.
Medvedev showed no mercy to his child’s godfather
Andrey Rublev lost his first group game at the Nitto ATP Finals to Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 2-6 in two sets of the highest quality ATP matches. Daniil Medvedev dominated the game from the start till his last two service games of the set. Three of the last matches against Andrey Rublev have come this season, with Medvedev winning in all, including Dubai and US Open.
“I felt good and I managed to put it on the court,” Medvedev said post-match. “First set was really tough. I managed to just get a little bit the upper hand on the most clutch moments, and this helped me in the second, so I’m really happy.”
“I like to play aggressive on my serve or the first shot after the return. But Rublev plays such a style that he doesn’t give me any other option because I don’t have the power of Alcaraz or maybe Tsitsipas, like on my forehand,” Medvedev said of his patient tactics. “So it’s a little bit of a different style where I try to go left and right and move my opponent.”
Andrey Rublev, who has won a career-best 56 matches this season and 14 ATP singles career title, will seek to bounce back on Wednesday against Alcaraz. Medvedev, who is bouncing back from early exit at the Paris Masters will meet Zverev on Wednesday with first place in the group on the line.
