Several tennis fans found Daniil Medvedev's remarks about Jannik Sinner amusing after losing to him at the Six Kings Slam. Sinner and Medvedev competed against each other in the quarterfinals of the exhibition event.
The Six Kings Slam is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the tournament kicked off with two quarterfinal matches, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic having already received byes to the semifinals. Sinner thrashed Medvedev 6-0, 6-3 while Carlos Alcaraz beat Holger Rune 6-4, 6-2.
During the post-match press conference following his loss to Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev described the Italian as a very "consistent player" who performed like a "machine." The Russian admitted that he previously considered Carlos Alcaraz to be a "slightly better" player than the World No.1, but his opinion changed after losing to Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Six Kings Slam.
"I usually think of Jannik Sinner as a little bit more consistent, more like a machine, while Carlos Alcaraz is a little bit more, you know, swinging with some classy shots. But when Carlos is at the top of his game, I consider him slightly better. But we're talking about peak performance. Today I changed my opinion," Daniil Medvedev said.
Medvedev also mentioned that he had never encountered a player like Sinner in a match before. He stated that he did not play poorly, but rather that the Italian played exceptionally well.
"I've never played against someone who played like Jannik Sinner today. It was a tough feeling on the court because I was feeling good, I was fighting well, physically I felt good. My tennis wasn't that bad, and I lost easy, which I don't remember the last time this happened. That's how it went," he added .
These comments from Daniil Medvedev regarding Jannik Sinner amused tennis fans, who took to social media to express their opinions on the same
One fan joked that Medvedev finished the tournament after just one match, earning 1.5 million and the experience of losing to Sinner in a new manner.
"The man went out of that exho with one less racket, 1.5M and an out of body experience," a fan posted.
Another fan stated that the Russian must get "free" from playing against the World No.1.
"Free him 😭 😭 😭 😭 ," a fan wrote.
"Jannik made dani think twice 😂 ," a fan posted.
One fan humorously suggested that Daniil Medvedev should receive "financial compensation" for frequently facing Jannik Sinner.
"He should get financial compensation having to play jannik every month," a fan wrote.
Many fans amusingly noted that Daniil Medvedev seemed traumatized after losing to Sinner in the manner that he did.
"“Today I changed my mind” we won," a fan posted.
"The trauma 😭 ," a fan wrote.
"Channelled the spirit of an ancient mythological psychopomp for a dumb ass exho F*CCKKKKK," a fan posted.
Daniil Medvedev has faced Jannik Sinner 14 times so far on the ATP tour
Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have competed against each other 14 times on the ATP tour, with each player winning seven matches.
Sinner and Medvedev have faced each other five times this year. Their first clash was in the final of the 2024 Australian Open, where the Italian triumphed 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and in turn secured his first Grand Slam title.
Both the players then faced each other in the semifinals of the Miami Open, where Sinner defeated Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 and then he eventually went to win the ATP Masters 1000 title by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the final. Daniil Medvedev avenged his losses to the Italian in Wimbledon when he defeated Sinner 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Daniil Mevedev then faced Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the US Open and lost to him 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Their most recent encounter before the Six Kings Slam was at the Shanghai Masters, where the Italian emerged victorious with a 6-1, 6-4 win.