Rafael Nadal was forced to sit next to Daniil Medvedev when the world number 5 praised Novak Djokovic for breaking the Spaniard’s and Roger Federer’s records ahead of the ATP Finals. The eight players competing in the season-ending championships took part in a joint interview that left Nadal listening uncomfortably as Medvedev praised his rival.
Nadal and Djokovic are playing in this week’s ATP Finals and are the oldest men in the draw, as well as the only Grand Slam champions this season after Carlos Alcaraz was forced to retire. The tournament sees the eight men who earned the most ranking points this year alone battle it out in round-robin matches to reach the semi-finals and final.
The two Grand Slam champions have each won four titles this year and continued to make history with Nadal becoming the first man to win his 21st and 22nd Grand Slam titles, while the Serb extended his Masters 1000 title record and rival at the ATP Finals. Medvedev has now praised the world number 8 for entering the tour and beating Federer and Nadal as the 36-year-old sat next to him.
“I already felt that Roger, Rafa, Novak, they are simply the best tennis players of all time,” the 2020 ATP Finals champion said during a joint interview with Nadal, Djokovic and the rest of the field. And Medvedev made a brutal admission when he claimed he was told the Spaniard’s career was “over” before Nadal won the first two Majors of the year.
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