The two were slated to meet in the last eight but that will not happen after Mackenzie McDonald beat an injured Nadal in straight sets. Medvedev, on his part, booked his place in the third round after beating John Millman 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in his second-round fixture.
The Russian has usually figured amongst the top three seeds at most of the previous Slams but a recent drop in the rankings means that he entered this year’s Australian Open seeded seventh.
Speaking to the media after beating Millman, the 26-year-old expressed confidence in his ability to do well in Slams. But at the same time, he lamented his relatively inferior seeding.
Medvedev did not seem upbeat about Nadal’s exit from the tournament, highlighting how he is unlikely to get easy draws until he improves his ranking.
That said, the former US Open champion stated that he feels “really confident” to have a “better season” this year.
“It’s normal when we have Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic that all the attention comes to them” - Daniil Medvedev
During his press conference, Daniil Medvedev was asked if he felt he had gone under the radar in light of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic hogging all the media attention.
The Russian responded by stressing that it is normal for both the Spaniard and the Serb to receive such high amounts of attention, especially for the latter given how he was deported ahead of last year’s Australian Open.
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