Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev had to put their friendship aside once again on Monday as they battled it out at the ATP Finals in Turin. The Russian duo are close childhood friends and Rublev is the godfather to Medvedev’s daughter.
But when they stepped on centre court for their group stage clash it was all business. In the end, Medvedev ran away with the contest 6-4 6-2 as Rublev became increasingly emotional as the margin widened.
It was hard not to feel sorry for the tearful Russian who looked distraught when the final point was scored – and that’s exactly how his pal felt when the match was over.
When asked how long it takes for him to cool down after a tight encounter with his mate, Medvedev told assembled media in the post-match press conference: “Depends on the person. Me, usually – depends on the match – but in general, I need probably one hour, around this.
“Depends on the match. Sometimes two. Sometimes 30 minutes. I kind of laugh about it. For sure I will be disappointed, but I can talk to people, and laugh about it. But when the last point is finished, it’s like I feel sorry for him, he lost the match.
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“But it’s the same for him. If he beats me, I mean, last year was brutal when he beat me. So I felt for one or two days he was kind of shy to talk to me, taking care. It’s the same.
“You always try to look at him and see if tomorrow we can talk like normal. I’m going to say to him good luck, go for it in the next matches, and he’s probably going to say the same.”
Rublev was also asked whether it is difficult to play Medvedev. To which, he replied: “No, no. For sure nothing with our relationship outside the court. I would say in general Daniil first of all is one of the best players and he’s playing his best season so far.
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“Of course, for every player, normally if they are not top five, they’re losing to him. If they’re top five, it’s very tough to beat him. I don’t know. In general, I feel that we always have some close matches. I don’t know. As more I play, even if the score is different, but from baseline I feel every time better and better against him.
“The question is more about the mental part in those important moments, to keep focused, to use those chances when I have these balls, drive forehands, whatever, volleys. When he gives you these extra balls, be focused on finishing these.”
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