NEW YORK: Daniil Medvedev said he was enjoying his growing rivalry with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner despite coming out on the wrong end of the scoreline in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Wednesday.
The Russian has now played his 23-year-old rival four times this year, also losing in the Australian Open final and the semi-finals of the Miami Masters but triumphing in the last eight at Wimbledon.
"Lately a tough one for me, but compared to some matches I played with him last year when he started to beat me, I felt like I was doing the right things. I just didn't manage to execute them well," Medvedev, the world No. 5, said after his 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat.
"I like it. You know, to have big rivalries like this always pushes me to be better, and sometimes I lose, sometimes I win. I will try to be better next time, and that's the only thing I can do."
Medvedev still leads their head-to-head 7-6, although the Italian Sinner has won six of their last seven meetings.
"He's one of the best players in the world, by ranking the best, and he deserves it," Medvedev added.
"He's a tough player to play against. He feels the game well. He chooses the right shot at the right moment many times.
"That's where I actually like to play players like him because that's where it gets very tight, where every point matters."
Medvedev said he thought an Australian Open final, reaching the fourth round of the French Open, the semis at Wimbledon and the last eight at Flushing Meadows meant he had enjoyed a "quite good" year at the Grand Slams.
The 28-year-old, whose 2021 US Open victory remains his only major title, said he would continue to work hard to close the gap with the best players in the game, even if their names had changed since the start of his career.
"There were always tough guys," he said. "Before it was like Rafa (Nadal), Roger (Federer), Novak (Djokovic); now it is Carlos (Alcaraz), Jannik, some other guys.
"Just have to practice hard, try to improve your game and try to beat them." - REUTERS