Daniil Medvedev has highlighted one opponent who was a harder match for him than Novak Djokovic.
Serbian Djokovic is arguably one of tennis' greatest-ever players, with 24 Grand Slam titles to his name as well as a gold medal from this year's Olympic Games in Paris. The 37-year-old has won Wimbledon seven times, clinched ten Australian Opens, three French Opens and four US Opens in his career to date.
And while he can be unstoppable on his day, Medvedev - who was beaten by Djokovic in this year's US Open final - has claimed that there's one opponent who gives a tougher game on the courts. Speaking ahead of his 2024 Laver Cup run in Berlin, the 28-year-old said: "[Carlos] Alcaraz is the toughest opponent I have faced in my career.
"I'm going to try to raise my level next time I play against Carlos, try to do something new, something better." Medvedev and Alcaraz have gone head to head seven times throughout their respective careers thus far, with the 21-year-old Spanish sensation winning five of those.
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Their most-recent meeting came in this summer's Wimbledon singles semi-finals. While Medvedev got off to a strong start, winning 7-6 in their opening game, Alcaraz took the best of five with subsequent scores of 6-3, 6-4 and 6-4 - advancing to the finals to take on none other than Djokovic.
Alcaraz added a fourth Grand Slam to his name in the tournament's final game, besting Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, and 7-6 (7-4) to claim the title for the second year running. Djokovic ultimately had his revenge just months later however, when the two men met again in the finals of the Paris Olympics in August.
It was no mean feat for the tennis great, who was taken to a tie break twice by Alcaraz before winning 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) to clinch his first gold medal. Despite Medvedev singing the praises of Alcaraz, he also has not shied away from giving props to Djokovic in the past. Speaking back in 2021 after beating the tennis ace for the US Open 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, the pro told him: "I never said this to anybody, but I’ll say it right now: For me, you are the greatest tennis player in history."
More recently, Medvedev has reflected on his upcoming outing at the Laver Cup, insisting that he will bring "calmness and serenity" to his team. He added: "I would say the most important role in the Laver Cup is to bring points, but if we are talking about personalities… I hope I can bring some calmness and serenity to the team. We all want to win.
"When we're out there, we're six players who want to beat the other six players no matter who's on the other side of the net. It's the only time during the year when we support each other, go to dinner together or spend time together."
Medvedev will be on the same team as Alcaraz when the two compete at the Laver Cup, which will allow him to further analyse the Spaniard while practicing together. Both are incredibly fresh to the tournament, with Medvedev's only appearance coming three years ago - while Alcaraz has never competed in the Federer-founded competition.
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