Daniil Medvedev admits Novak Djokovic could 'bite him back' after on-court comment | Tennis | sport

Daniil Medvedev named Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the best players in men's tennis right now, but warned that no one should underestimate Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic was in stunning form at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, seeing off 28th seed Flavio Cobolli with a 6-1, 6-2 win to set up a clash with Romain Safiullin.

The 37-year-old has won the tournament four times and is hoping to claim a fifth crown in his first appearance in Shanghai since 2019. If he succeeds, he would be only the third man to win 100 ATP Tour titles, after Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109).

Djokovic is on track to face one of Sinner or Alcaraz in the final, assuming there are no surprises along the way. And although the pair have become the next generation of Grand Slam winners, Medvedev believes facing Djokovic presents a similarly difficult test.

“He’s number one in the world now. I would say that he and Carlos (Alcaraz) are probably the best,” Medvedev said on the pitch when asked about Sinner.

“(But) never underestimate Novak. Once you underestimate him, he can hit you back! These are three very strong players at the moment. I will do my best.”

Medvedev will next face world No. 1 Sinner in Shanghai after reaching the last eight of the tournament in China.

The 28-year-old defeated his long-time rival Stefanos Tsitsipas 7:6 (3), 6:3 and secured his place in the next round. Sinner ensured he would face him in the Far East by defeating Ben Shelton 6-3. 4:7-6(1).

Medvedev has already tried to put a psychological twist on the duel by claiming Sinner would have an “advantage with the balls” if he used them.

The Russian called the supervisor onto the court in his opening match and complained that the balls made by Wilson were “not good enough for professional tennis” in his victory over Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Despite his complaints about the equipment, the Russian refuses to dismiss his chances of pulling off an upset.

“No… I will always fight to the end,” Medvedev replied. “We had a lot of tough fights with Jannik.” I’ll bring that with me tomorrow.

“Tactically, I don’t know (how I’m going to play) yet. I will discuss it with my trainer. Mentally I have to fight.”

The 2021 US Open winner at least has history on his side in the duel with his Italian opponent, as he leads their head-to-head duel 7:6. But the 24-year-old Sinner has won six of his last seven meetings, underlining his recent rise to the top of men's tennis.