"I'm playing good but Novak is always the favorite" - Daniil Medvedev aims to bring 'best shape' on court to beat Novak Djokovic in Dubai

Daniil Medvedev believes nothing short of his absolute best would suffice if he is to beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday. Despite enjoying an ongoing purple patch himself, the former World No. 1 declared the current No. 1 as 'always the favorite.'

Leaving behind the disappointment of the Australian Open, Medvedev is on a 12-match winning streak during which he has clinched two titles in Rotterdam and Doha. However, he now faces an opponent who has won 20 matches in a row dating back to the 2022 ATP Finals, and is unbeaten after 15 matches so far this season.

Looking ahead to the match against Djokovic soon after beating Borna Coric in the quarterfinals, Medvedev acknowledged that his own run of form has been impressive, but that won't be enough to give him an advantage against the Serbian great.

"I'm playing good right now, but when you play Novak, Novak is always the favorite," Daniil Medvedev said in his on-court interview after the quarterfinals. "He won probably last 50 matches and lost maybe 4 or 5."

Medvedev praised Djokovic for his supreme run of late, saying that the 22-time Grand Slam champion moves extremely well on the court for a 35-year-old. Having said that, he hopes to play at a high level against the Serb.

"He's huge, he's playing great, moving great; you can never say that he's 35 years old," the Russian player said. "But I've always had some good fights with him so I'm hoping for my best shape tomorrow because that's the only way to beat him."

"His quality is as tough as it gets when you face someone on the hard court" - Novak Djokovic on Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev (L) and Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Adelaide International 1.

Novak Djokovic returned the compliment, calling Daniil Medvedev one of the toughest players to face on hardcourt. Djokovic stressed that Medvedev has been one of the very best in the world for half a decade now and that he will be challenged by the 27-year-old on Friday.

"Daniil is one of the best players in the world the last five years. Grand Slam winner. Former No. 1 in the world. Not much to talk about,” Djokovic said, as per ATPTour.com

"His quality is as tough as it gets when you are supposed to face someone on the hard court, particularly."

Djokovic and Medvedev last faced each other in the semifinals at Adelaide 1, with Djokovic winning 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic has won four matches in a row against Medvedev and holds a 9-4 lead in their head-to-head, with Medvedev's last win coming in the 2021 US Open final.