Medvedev reveals the key to Jódar's victory: "That's where the difference lay"

Andrés Tomás Rico - 17 Oct 2026 | 17:37
ATP Daniil Medvedev Rafael Jódar ATP Shanghái 2026 Rueda de prensa

The Russian, who lost in the semifinals of the ATP Shanghai against the Spaniard, praises him: "You never know who might win 25 Grand Slams."

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Medvedev reveals the key to Jódar's victory: “That has been the difference.” Photo: Getty Images

Daniil Medvedev set up a very physical and tactical match against Rafael Jódar, however, the Spaniard managed to turn the situation around to win a very close match in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 by 6-3, 6-4. Moreover, the Russian was let down by his serve, committing double faults at several key moments, but he particularly regretted not being sharp in another aspect.

This was stated by Medvedev in the mixed zone after his defeat, where he did not hesitate to praise Jódar, who won the first encounter between the two. He also took the opportunity to discuss what happened in Beijing and his disqualification for hitting a fan.

Medvedev explained why he lost against Jódar in Shanghai

"He played well today. He returned well, and I think I could have been more precise with my serve, especially when trying to target certain areas. But it is also true that he pressured me a lot with his returns, and I believe that was the difference: he returned better than I did.”

Medvedev praised Jódar

"He is a great player. He is among the top ten in the world, so we are not talking about someone who occupies the 60th place in the ranking and is just starting to be talked about. He is a top 10. You never know who can win 25 Grand Slams, six, one, or two. We will see what happens.”

Medvedev is already thinking about ATP Almaty, although he needs some rest

"Basically, I need to do some physiotherapy work. The recovery time is short, so there is no time to work physically or make big changes. It is similar to what happens when you keep competing in the same tournament: you train a little and try to maintain the rhythm. In this case, it's also played on indoor courts, so the conditions are somewhat different. Now it's about recovering physically, getting some massages, and trying to be ready to play.”

Medvedev spoke about his incident with the fan in Beijing

"I think there are many videos where you can see me frustrated, and this is probably not one of them. If you look at other videos, you will see that I have been much more frustrated than at that moment. The ball came back to me, and I reacted instinctively. I had just lost the point, and I wanted to get the ball off me. At no point did I intend to hit anyone, so it was a real misfortune.”

"I am very glad that the man is okay, because that is the most important thing. The rest is, so to speak, bureaucracy. I don't know if that word is used in English, but the important thing is that he is fine. As for the appeal, I don't know if I can talk about it. While the case is still open, I prefer not to comment. When it is resolved, I will speak about the matter," concluded Daniil Medvedev, who was today surpassed by a hurricane named Rafael Jódar.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev desvela la clave de la victoria de Jódar: "Ahí ha estado la diferencia"