Daniil Medvedev has only words of praise for Roger Federer as he considers the Swiss to be a great champion on the court and a very nice and genuine person off it. Medvedev, 26, has faced Federer three times. Medvedev and Federer met for the first time at the 2018 Shanghai Masters, when the Swiss beat the Russian 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Federer also defeated Medvedev in Basel (2018) and at the Miami Masters (2019). “I remember when we played for the first time in Shanghai 2018. So, it was one of the best feelings of my life. I don’t know him very well, but from what you see, he is the same on television and in the dressing room.
All tennis lovers wanted me to play always,” Medvedev told L’Equipe, according to Bastien Fachan. During this year’s grass-court season, Medvedev showed his respect for Federer’s grass-court game by listing him among the best grass-court players.
Federer, 41, is a record eight-time Wimbledon champion. Novak Djokovic, who has seven Wimbledon titles, is also on Medvedev’s list. Medvedev listed Federer and Djokovic as the two best grass-court players of his generation.
“Novak is always the favorite. He has won the last three Wimbledons that have been played. He plays very well on grass. If we talk about the best players in history on grass, I would put him at the top, although I have not seen Borg play not Sampras.
Of my generation, Federer and Djokovic are the best. Of course, Nadal can win any tournament he plays in and Berrettini is playing at a high level. Speaking of favourites, Djokovic, Berrettini and Nadal,” Medvedev said this summer.
Nick McCarvel opens up on Federer
Nick McCarvel hailed Roger Federer’s demeanor off court, saying that he is always thoughtful and a good listener. “He once told me I had pretty good shoes on, so I’ll take that.
You know, I was the newspaper reporter, tennis reporter for USA Today for two years, did a few one-on-ones with Roger. Always class, always thoughtful, always a good listener, always someone who looks you in the eye and said ‘Hello’, and that’s what great champions do to set themselves apart,” he said.
“I think that the greatness that he achieved on court was unmatched, but the fact that he would just meet you at the human level, he was always interested in other people. And he said in that retirement message that you open with, it’s the people that’s gonna stick with him the most from his illustrious career and I think for a lot of folks it’s gonna be Roger and the way he treated them off the court that will stick with them,” he added.
