“Great for him and great for tennis” Medvedev surprised and impressed by Kyrgios’ 2022 revival

It is the match that everybody circled when the draw came out last Thursday at the US Open. And it promises to be the high point in a US Open weekend full of popcorn clashes on the men’s side: Daniil Medvedev vs. Nick Kyrgios.

On Friday in Flushing Meadows, both players took care of their business in commanding fashion, as each took powered past their opponents in straights sets and in less than two hours.

That means Medvedev and Kyrgios will be brimming with energy on Sunday when the meet for the fifth time, with a spot in the US Open quarter-finals on the line.

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It has often been said that you can’t win a tournament in the first week, but this round of 16 clash between two of the most dynamic and in-form hard court players in men’s tennis carries a lot of weight, and actually feels like, well… like a final.

Both players are aware of the implications, and both know that Sunday could mark the end of their Grand Slam season, even if they play an excellent match. Their is an air of importance, and an excitement brewing in New York.

The minute Serena Williams saw her legendary career come to a close on Friday night, all eyes turned to this matchup.

Medvedev on Kyrgios – “We always knew he’s capable of beating anybody”

Asked if he was surprised in some way by the dramatic turnaround that Kyrgios has been able to engineer in 2022, Medvedev was his typical honest self.

“To be honest, yes,” he said of the Wimbledon finalist whose record now stands at an impressive 34-9 on the season. “When I say this, we all knew that he’s capable of doing big things. I mean, he has one of the best serves I saw in my life. I played Ivo [Karlovic]. Ivo has definitely amazing serve. Nick is not far. He is capable of serving 140 miles per hour if he wants to. Pretty precise.

“We always knew on a day he’s capable of beating anybody. He proved it many, many times against the biggest players in the world.”

“Congrats to him. He seems concentrated about his career. I feel like sometimes he doesn’t want to show it too much. But that’s what I feel, he wants to be a little bit serious professional. That’s great for him and great for tennis.”

Medvedev on Nick Kyrgios

Medvedev admits that he wasn’t quite sure what was going to become of Kyrgios after he had difficult and well-documented struggles with his mental health, motivation and tennis during at the start of the pandemic. And he adds that his revival is a great thing for the sport.

“For sure, especially with COVID, he was a little bit going downhill,” he said. “When somebody is like this, you don’t know when to expect a comeback, or [if you can] expect one. So I’m definitely surprised, and the same time we could think that it was going to happen.

“So congrats to him. He seems concentrated about his career. I feel like sometimes he doesn’t want to show it too much. But that’s what I feel, he wants to be a little bit serious professional. That’s great for him and great for tennis.”

“We both know what to expect” in Sunday’s clash

Medvedev owns a 1-3 lifetime record against Kyrgios, including a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Aussie last month in Montreal. But he did manage to defeat Kyrgios in their only Grand Slam meeting, which came in the second-round at the Australian Open in January.

The Russian, who defeated China’s Wu Yibing on Friday, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, says the last meeting between the pair was important, especially because it was played so recently.

“I think quite important,” he said. “It was not that long ago. We both kind of know what to expect right now. He managed to get the better of me there, for sure, especially I would say in terms of clutch moments. He broke me three times. I had two opportunities in the same game. Didn’t break. It was quite important in the beginning of the third set.

Despite the loss, Medvedev takes positives from the fact that it was a close shave, even as he didn’t play his best tennis.

“I felt like it was a close match where everybody had his opportunities,” he said. “In a way everybody could win. I shouldn’t say this because I lost, but I felt it was close. That’s the most important coming into tomorrow.”

No need to change the plan

Both Kyrgios and Medvedev told reporters that they are confident in their game plan heading into the blockbuster tilt.

“I’m definitely going to play a certain way against him. I’m happy to lose that way and I’m happy to win that way,” Kyrgios said. “I think my level is right there. I think there are only a few players right now who are playing a better level of tennis than I am, if not the same.”

Medvedev says he has to serve well, first and foremost.

“I kind of know what I have to do,” he said. “Serve well, try to get to the tiebreak, try to get opportunities on his serve. He also knows what he will do. He serves big. He’s playing good so far. I watched his matches. Concentrated. First one was not easy. Won in three sets.

“Definitely looking forward. Hopefully can play my best game.”

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