Daniil Medvedev on relationship with Nick Kyrgios: ‘I don’t think we are friends, but we respect each other’
Daniil Medvedev saw off the challenge of Wu Yibing in the third round of the US Open to set up an enticing clash against Nick Kyrgios and he believes it will be “a great match for people to watch”.
The defending champion and Wu had wait to get on court as their match on Arthur Ashe Stadium was scheduled after Serena Williams’ emotional defeat in her final match on Friday evening.
It took Medvedev some time to get going, but once he found his rhythm he eased to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in just under two hours over the world No 174.
Playing after Serena is not easy 😅@DaniilMedwed speaks on the 🐐 pic.twitter.com/gVVZhC2R8M
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2022
The world No 1 broke to love in game seven, but he was immediately pegged back by Wu – the first Chinese man to reach the third round of the US Open – only to get a second break in game nine.
He then raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set while he enjoyed a similar advantage in the third set.
Medvedev’s reward is a fourth-round meeting against fellow “eccentric player” Kyrgios, who defeated American JJ Wolf 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
Kyrgios will head into the match with a 3-1 head-to-head advantage while he also won their most recent encounter – a three-set win in the second round of the Canadian Open in early August.
“We’ve played great matches. I think all have been quite tight on the scoreboard,” Medvedev said. “It’s 3-1 to him but I will try to do better this time and it will be a great match for people to watch.”
It is shaping up to be a great match with Medvedev reaching the fourth round without dropping a set while Kyrgios dropped only one set – against Benjamin Bonzi in the third round.
Asked about his relationship with Kyrgios, Medvedev – who needs to win the reach the final to have any hope of staying at No 1 in the ATP Rankings after the US Open – replied with a smile: “I don’t think we are friends. When I say ‘friends’, we haven’t been to the bar together.
“I feel like we respect each other a lot. On the court also we never really had any fight or anything, which can change any moment. We are both quite electric. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.
“Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players sometimes on the court. That’s his choice. That’s his life. I’m not the one to judge.”
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