'Feeling super dizzy' - Baffled Daniil Medvedev denies 'nerves' in shock Miami Open loss to Hubert Hurkacz

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 01/04/2022 at 12:53 GMT

Daniil Medvedev is not prepared to accept that nerves could be responsible for his stunning straight-sets defeat to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz at the Miami Open. The Russian had been set to usurp Novak Djokovic as the ATP world No. 1 once more in the Sunshine State but was unable to overcome Hurkacz, who produced the better tennis and appeared by far the fitter in the testing Florida heat.

A bewildered Daniil Medvedev has reflected on "feeling super dizzy" as he denied "nerves" got to him in his shock Miami Open loss to Hubert Hurkacz.

The 26-year-old had been required to reach the semi-finals of the tournament to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from rival and friend Novak Djokovic but came up short as he was left stunned in straight sets by defending champion Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.

It was a huge shock for Medvedev as the Polish eighth seed triumphed 7-6(7) 6-3 in two hours and three minutes at Hard Rock Stadium.

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The US Open champion had been expected to at the very least reach the semi-finals in Miami for the first time in four appearances, but he was left bemused by a listless showing in the Florida sunshine and adamant that nerves were not responsible.

"To be honest, consistently no, because I knew that Hubert [Hurkacz] can play great tennis, and it was more important just to win the match itself than to become the number one by winning the match," Medvedev said.

"I saw it more as a bonus. So I don't feel like I was tired or anything because of this. To be honest, I played a lot of matches where I had the pressure... and it's not like something new happened today in terms of going out on court and feeling crazy tired or something.

"So I don't think that nerves were part of this. Yeah, all the match I was not feeling my best, but sometimes it happens.

"Some days you feel physically... better, sometimes a little bit worse. Like, after the tough points, I felt that my breath was not recovering fast enough.

Highlights: Hurkacz beats Medvedev to deny him world No.1 spot

"But OK, as I say, it can happen. Sometimes you just fight and it gets better during the match. But then in the second set, for just one moment, I just felt strange… not often I feel like this, but sometimes it happens when it is hot, so I don't know the actual reason, maybe the heat.

"But yeah, I was feeling super dizzy, tired, and there was this long game where I couldn't serve anymore."

Former British No. 1 Henman has said the fact that the 2021 US Open winner has already topped the ATP world rankings will mean he can move on from the disappointment swiftly, despite how much it clearly hurt him to have such a brief reign at the summit.

“In the context of that conversation, if Medvedev hadn’t already been No. 1, then it is a big issue, but the fact he’s already been there – and yes, he’d rather be one than two – means I don’t think it’s such a big issue for Medvedev," Henman said on Amazon Prime.

“If you look at the ranking points coming up because he played so poorly on clay last year, I think he will get back to one pretty rapidly, especially if Djokovic is only playing a curtailed schedule.”

Medvedev will begin the clay season just 10 points behind Djokovic in the ATP world rankings, and both are expected to play on the red dirt for the first time in 2022 at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on April 10.

'I have to learn from the Big Three' - Medvedev on losing top spot in ATP rankings

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