Daniil Medvedev won the ATP tournament in Dubai. The Russian didn’t give compatriot Andrey Rublev a chance. After that he settled accounts with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The final on Saturday in the desert state was a one-sided affair. The in-form tennis pro won 6:2, 6:2 and celebrated his third tournament victory within three weeks.
Medvedev, who knocked out 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals, won his 14th match in a row.
Special Victory Speech
At the award ceremony, Medvedev congratulated the defeated opponent first “on a great week”. But after that it was over with niceties. “I just want to say that I remember not long ago a player said that Rublev only has a few guns in his arsenal – I read that and I was like, ‘How can you say that?'” , he criticized.
Medvedev continues: “Andrey is one of the most talented players on the tour, he just hasn’t fully exploited his potential. But I’m sure he can win Grand Slams. Hopefully he can beat this guy who has said that many, many times and I wish him that very much.”
The “guy” mentioned is none other than Stefanos Tsitsipas. At the ATP Finals in Turin in November, the Greek lost to Rublev and then missed the semi-finals. At the press conference, he said his opponent defeated him with his “few weapons”.
Tsitsipas later apologized for his statements and said he wanted to motivate Rublev for his semi-final match against Casper Ruud – the Norwegian was Tsitsipas’ direct competitor in the race for the top 3 at the end of the year. “I wanted him to be angry in his next game and try to play even better,” Tsitsipas explained.
Keystone
Medvedev and Tsitsipas have clashed several times in the past. Above all, their first meeting in Miami in 2018 provided plenty of material for discussion. After the game, Medvedev even wanted to attack his opponent because the Greek is said to have insulted him with the words “shit Russian”.
“I didn’t even take it personally,” Rublev says of the whole story. “I know I’m emotional too and there are some things you can say and do when you’re emotional.” Tsitsipas also apologized to him personally, which he really appreciated.
Rublev against the Russian war: “It’s crazy”
Medvedev, who swapped places in the world rankings with Rublev after winning the final in Dubai and is now number 6 in the world, has known Rublev since childhood. “I feel like people are starting to know that Andrey is the nicest person on tour, but I just want to say it out loud so everyone knows. Congratulations to you and your team and hopefully we can experience many more finals together,” he concluded in his speech.
In Dubai, Rublev also commented on the situation in his home country and criticized the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “It’s crazy that so many ordinary people are suffering and dying. You can’t pretend nothing is happening because it’s terrible,” he said. “I just hope that there will be peace in every country soon. It doesn’t matter where. I hope there will be peace in our countries.”
