Daniil Medvedev branded a ‘bad boy’ by an 18-time major champion
Daniil Medvedev has been labelled a ‘mischievous little bad boy’ by former No.1 Chris Evert, following the Russian’s recent rants about his dislike for the courts at Indian Wells.
Medvedev described the courts in the desert as ‘slow’ and insisted that they were not actually hard courts, but still managed to reach the final for the first time.
The 27-year-old was beaten in the final by the new No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, bringing an end to his 19-match winning streak, and even poked fun at the courts in his speech describing his relationship with them as ‘toxic’.
It is not the first time Medvedev’s mouth has got others talking, and tennis legend Chris Evert admitted that she likes the ‘charisma’ that the No.5 brings to the tour, “I love him. I think he’s very charismatic. I thought he spoke very eloquently, and he speaks very well.”
Evert continued, “He’s very likeable – he’s like a little kid on the court sometimes when he’s like a mischievous little bad boy.”
“But I think it adds a lot of personality to the game of tennis, and he’s not afraid to wear his personality or his heart on his sleeve. I think it’s good to have all those varieties. I think he’s great for the game. I’m a fan of his.”
The 18-time singles Grand Slam Champion, Evert, was also full of praise for the 2021 US Open champion’s ‘shot-making’.
“His game is wonderful to watch. At times, you can’t believe the shots that he pulls out of the hat. He’s very unpredictable in his shot-making. He’s got the power and he’s got the movement,” said Evert.
Medvedev had his struggles in 2022, after losing the Australian Open final to Rafael Nadal from two sets up, but seems to have regained his mojo this year with three titles to his name.
The former No.1 will look to continue that in Miami, where his best previous performance is reaching the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2022.
His second round match against Roberto Carballes Baena takes place later today, with Medvedev winning their only previous meeting in straight sets.
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