Daniil Medvedev: 2020 ATP Finals champion explains why not celebrating is now his ‘trademark’

ByMichael Hincks

Updated 24/11/2020 at 11:59 GMT

Daniil Medvedev barely raised a smile when beating Dominic Thiem to lift the ATP Finals trophy at The O2 Arena on Sunday. The Russian has explained that a low-key celebration is going to be his ‘trademark’ as it allows him to take the moment in. Medvedev also beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to winning the season-ending title in London.

Daniil Medvedev has explained the reasoning behind his low-key celebration when beating Dominic Thiem to claim the season-ending ATP Finals trophy on Sunday.

The Russian won the biggest title of his career after coming from a set down to defeat Thiem 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 in the final at The O2 Arena in London.

Medvedev’s reaction was subdued, but the 24-year-old said there is a reason behind why he chose not to celebrate.

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“Last year I just decided that it is going to be my trademark,” said Medvedev, per ATP Tour.

A lot of people like it, some [do] not, but that is how I feel… When there are huge crowds, when you win a big title or big matches against big opponents and you don’t celebrate, you actually have the opportunity to look around you and feel all the energy that is going around.

“All of this energy is for you. If you win a match, all of the applause goes to you. As an artist, as a tennis player, you can feel it all if you think about it.”

Before beating third seed Thiem in the final, Medvedev also saw off the top two players in Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev joy at 'one of the best victories of my career'

In doing so, Medvedev became just the third player since the ATP Tour began in 1990 to win a tournament by beating the top three, following in David Nalbandian (Madrid) and Novak Djokovic’s (Montreal) footsteps from 2007, while Boris Becker was the first to do so in Stockholm back in 1994.

"It is amazing [to beat the top three],” said Medvedev. “[It] shows what I'm capable of when I'm playing good, when I'm feeling good mentally, physically. I know what I'm capable of. I just need to produce it more and more and hopefully more matches like this.”

Replicating this form at Grand Slams is now Medvedev’s aim, with the world No 4 now looking forward to the Australian Open in January.

"My level of game here, especially [in] the last two matches I won [was] just unbelievable. It can give me a lot for my future career,” said Medvedev.

Daniil Medvedev: My idol? I always wanted to be myself

“To beat Dominic the way he played today and to manage to beat him is probably my best victory of my life. Not even talking about the title itself. I mean, to win the Nitto ATP Finals, being undefeated, honestly I know I can play good, but I would not believe it if you would tell me this before the tournament. So [this is] a great boost of confidence for all the Slams coming up and all the tournaments. Hopefully I can continue this way.”

‘Medvedev’s win changes little’

By Paul Hassall…

Could it be that the 50th edition of the ATP World Tour finals and the last at London’s O2 Arena will be symbolic for a changing of the guard in men’s tennis? Probably not.

A new era is looming ever closer on the horizon - but the sport’s legendary triumvirate are not done yet. Talk of a shift in power at the summit of the game has been a recurring theme in recent years.

After Alexander Zverev’s success at the 2018 ATP World Tour finals, John McEnroe claimed it would be the catalyst for the new names to take charge. He was wrong in terms of the timing, but he’s not been alone there. It was mooted after Stefanos Tsitsipas won the same event last year, but the status quo pretty much remained the same.

Now Daniil Medvedev has become the latest NextGen star to lift what many believe to be the fifth biggest title in men’s tennis.

So, is this trend now going to bear fruit for the new class at the very top of the rankings and in the 2021 Grand Slam events?

Read the full article here

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