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Daniil Medvedev registered a straightforward victory over 22nd seed Cristian Garin on Sunday to reach the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time in his career.
In his post-match press conference, the Russian was asked to give his thoughts on being placed in the opposite half of the draw as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, meaning he cannot face them until the French Open final should he get there.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have won 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams and share a mammoth 38 Majors between them. The NextGen, which includes Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, have thus far failed to break the duo's Grand Slam stranglehold, raising questions about whether they are mentally equipped to take the next step.
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In that regard, Medvedev asserted that he, Tsitsipas and Zverev were "happy" that they could reach the final of Roland Garros without facing either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
The Russian also said that the best chance for a younger player to win the title was if they only had to meet one of Nadal or Djokovic over the course of the tournament.
“Having them on the other part of the draw, I think me, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Alexander] Zverev, we are all happy in a way because we know we can make [the] final without seeing them. Then [we can] get the chance to beat them in the final, which is the best chance possible," Daniil Medvedev said.
"The further you meet Rafael Nadal at RG the better" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev heaped praise on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for their Grand Slam pedigree. The Russian pointed to Nadal's haul of 13 titles in Paris and said it was a daunting task for any player to face him in the early rounds.
“Novak and Rafa, they proved so many times that they are such great champions, especially in Grand Slams, that of course the further [along in the tournament] you encounter them, the better,” Daniil Medvedev said.
“Especially talking about Rafa, he [has] won 13 times here. He barely loses a set. The further you meet him, the better. Maybe somebody can try to beat him before.”
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