"Fooled the man himself I'm crying" - Tennis fans hysterical as Daniil Medvedev posts childhood picture with Andrey Rublev unaware of its credibility

Daniil Medvedev’s latest social media post, consisting of a picture with his compatriot and friend Andrey Rublev, has left the internet in splits.

After defeating Novak Djokovic and setting up a final against Rublev at the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships, Medvedev posted a picture of the duo that was supposedly from their days as juniors. The two Russians can be seen in one frame, holding two very similar trophies, with Medvedev's being gold and Rublev's silver.

Notably, neither of them is smiling in the picture despite their seemingly significant achievement.

Joking about their feelings for each other as kids, Daniil Medvedev made a sarcastic comment to prepare fans for what’s to come in the Dubai final.

“Even as kids we were suppperrrr excited to play each other,” the 2021 US Open champion joked.

But while the two countrymen played each other numerous times during their junior days, the picture Medvedev posted was an edit made by a fan (Twitter handle: '@glittersquirrel') who morphed two different photos together.

Tennis fans were hysterical as Medvedev seemed oblivious to his goof-up, and shared their reactions about the hilarious incident.

"DEAR GOD I INCEPTIONED DANIIL MEDVEDEV INTO THINKING HE WAS IN A PHOTO WITH ANDREY RUBLEV THAT HE WAS NEVER IN," the creator of the edit reacted.

"Fooled the man himself I'm crying," another fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

---

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev set up a 7th career meeting in Dubai

The Russian duo have set up a seventh career meeting in the final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will lock horns for the seventh time in their careers on Saturday (March 4), in the final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships.

The duo's head-to-head thus far favors Medvedev 4-2. But Rublev has been the one on the winning side in their last two encounters, with the latest coming in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals.

This will be Rublev’s first final of the season, where he will look to lift his 13th career title. Medvedev, meanwhile, will be looking for his 18th career title, while also completing a hat-trick of trophy wins. The 2021 US Open champion has had a sensational month in February, winning consecutive titles in Rotterdam and Qatar.

Regardless of the result, the Dubai Tennis Championships will have a Russian champion for the third time in a row. Aslan Karatsev clinched the trophy in 2021, which was followed by Rublev himself lifting it in 2022.