The rivals have had some epic battles in the past. Could Friday be their next? By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday March 2, 2023
The two hottest players on the ATP Tour are set to clash on Friday in Dubai. Novak Djokovic – he of the 20-match winning streak, and 15-0 to start the season – will face Daniil Medvedev, owner of 12 consecutive wins, for the 14th time.
Djokovic, who defeated Medvedev earlier this season (6-3, 6-4) in the semifinals at Adelaide in a match that saw him injury his hamstring, knows he’ll be in for a tough challenge.
“Daniil is one of the best players in the world for the last five years,” Djokovic said. “Grand Slam winner. Former No. 1 in the world. Not much to talk about. His quality is as tough as it gets when you are supposed to face someone on the hard court particularly.”
🍿 to the ready…
Unstoppable force meets immovable object, @DjokerNole & @DaniilMedwed face off once again in Dubai.
Who reaches the final?#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/U1JH2u9yZt
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 2, 2023
Djokovic owns a 9-4 lifetime record against Medvedev, and he has won the last four meetings after losing to Medvedev in the 2021 US Open final.
“I know what to expect. I've been watching him play,” he said. “He's on the roll, winning tournaments, one or more tournaments before Dubai, I'm not sure. But he's had a great run – I haven't had a bad run myself, so I think we're both in great form and hopefully can have a good match.”
"I always had some good fights with him!" 🤝@DaniilMedwed on his semi-final opponent 👀#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/R5sHZ7A1rd
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 2, 2023
More to follow…
