MELBOURNE (Reuters) - After giving Stefanos Tsitsipas a semi-final bruising on Friday, Daniil Medvedev fired a mental barb at Novak Djokovic ahead of their Australian Open decider, declaring the pressure was all on the Serbian champion's shoulders. Djokovic will bid for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown in total to draw closer to Roger Federer's and Rafa Nadal's all-time record of 20. Yet Medvedev has now won 20 successive matches and 12 against top-10 opponents, including beating Djokovic on the way to winning the ATP Finals. "First of all, I like that I don't have a lot of pressure because he never lost in eight times he was here in the finals," Medvedev said. Djokovic also praised Medvedev as the "man to beat" in Melbourne and for two brilliant sets, the Russian lived up to the billing.

Source: The Star February 19, 2021 13:18 UTC