From Novak Djokovic's return to Rafael Nadal's mental strength: Daniil Medvedev builds his perfect player

Daniil Medvedev recently constructed what he believes is the perfect tennis player, by using the defining attributes of greats like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

In a video posted by the social media handle of the ATP tour, Medvedev began by choosing Roger Federer's forehand, which is one of the greatest shots in tennis history. The Russian said:

"As soon as you go to his [Federer's] forehand, you're in trouble."

Daniil Medvedev then picked Dominic Thiem's swash-buckling one-hander as his go-to backhand. He expressed awe at how the Austrian can belt the shot in any direction with relative ease.

"I would go with Thiem, just because I really love it when he smashes his backhand down the line or cross court," the Russian said.

When it came to the serve, the 27-year-old picked Nick Kyrgios. He said:

"For his height, he has one of the best serves ever."

Novak Djokovic's return was the next shot picked by Medvedev. Djokovic possesses arguably the greatest return in the history of the game, and this is not lost on the Russian as he said:

"Return, I have to go with Novak. Because just the way he returns throughout his career is unreal."

The World No. 3 then gave a shout out to Rafael Nadal for his famed mental strength.

"Mental toughness, Rafa for sure," he added.

Towards the end of the segment, Daniil Medvedev was also asked to pick a style of celebration that he would want his perfect player to have. The Russian declared that he was the best in this matter, before talking about how he tries to include offbeat celebrations after winning matches.

"Celebration? I'll stay with myself. I like my celebrations. I like to laugh about it either with my friends, or my friends, or with someone with my team. I try to use different kinds of celebrations, I like to take it easy," the 27-year-old said.

Although Daniil Medvedev picked Djokovic, it is he himself who has the best return stats in 2023

Daniil Medvedev, left, holds up the runner-up trophy as Novak Djokovic holds up the championship trophy after the men's singles final of the U.S. Open

Novak Djokovic has picked up three Major titles this year, using his all-round game to great effect. Having said that, the one shot that the Serb is the most popular for — his return — has been surprisingly a bit inferior to Daniil Medvedev's in 2023.

According to ATP's year-to-date statistics, Medvedev is second after tour-leader Carlos Alcaraz when it comes to winning first-serve return points. The Russian has won 33.7% of his points in that category this year, compared to Djokovic's 33.3%.

While Medvedev trails the 24-time Major winner in second-serve return points, his rate of breaking his opponent's serve is far superior. The Russian has broken his opponents' serve a staggering 47.4% of times in 2023. Djokovic, meanwhile, has only broken his opponents' serve at a rate of 42.6%.