Daniil Medvedev defeated Japan`s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2 6-3 in Acapulco to storm into the semi-finals of the Mexican Open. He took on Rafael Nadal in an Australian Open final rematch.
World no.1, Medvedev faced 21- time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal on court in Acapulco. The two net for the first time since their epic Australian Open final last month.
Unfortunately for the Russian, Nadal defeated him 6-3, 6-3 and qualified for the Acapulco 2022 final, where he will play Cameron Norrie.
Daniil Medvedev Disappointed With Himself
Rafael Nadal started off strong in the match with a break in the 4th game of the first set that lasted 47 minutes.
Medvedev played better in the second set but missed converting 11 break points, seven of them in a 5th game that lasted 19 minutes.
Daniil after the match said, “Unfortunately, I think I didn’t play well today. There were some good points, but overall my level wasn’t strong enough to compete with someone like Rafa.”
“Too many mistakes. It’s tough, Rafa is in very good shape. good form right now. If you want to beat him you have to give your best version, something that I did not do.”
He added, “I don’t think I can take much away from today’s game. If you ask me what I need to change about today’s match, I need to change everything I did. These are things that happen, sometimes you play badly, other times worse. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I just have to improve next week.”
Medvedev said that he did not have a good feeling playing at Acapulco this week. He said, “To be honest, I didn’t find a good feeling this week in Acapulco, but I’m happy that I was able to win three straight sets matches without tiebreaks without playing in an excellent way.”
“I kept fighting, getting the balls on the court and it’s something important when you’re not your best moment. I love Acapulco. Even today, the atmosphere was very nice. I felt the support of the fans and I enjoy playing here. I would like to come back and play in Acapulco next year,”