PARIS, Oct 30 ― Daniil Medvedev said that he “hates losing” after suffering a shock second-round defeat by French world number 65 Jeremy Chardy at the Paris Masters yesterday, ending his bid to reach a seventh straight final.
The 23-year-old Russian took the opening set but slipped to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss at Bercy Arena.
The second set ended a streak of 19 consecutive sets won by Medvedev, while the eventual loss snapped a nine-match winning run.
“I wasn't thinking at all about the streak while on court,” he said. “I was just afraid of losing. I hate to lose. But I also know what I can do when I play...
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Even though I lost, I can take it as an experience.”
Chardy, roared on by the home crowd in the French capital, saved nine break points in a dramatic deciding set.
“Jeremy played very well, but it's a shame because I had my chances,” added Medvedev, who is the only current player other than the 'big four' of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to have made six consecutive ATP finals.
“The difference was that he was able to take the opportunities that came his way and I wasn't.”
Medvedev's run of finals dated back to July, during which he had claimed the Cincinnati and Shanghai Masters titles and lost an epic US Open championship match to Rafael Nadal.
In New York, he was the first Russian man to reach a Grand Slam final since Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open and he has won four ATP tournaments in 2019 in total.
Medvedev will next head to London for his maiden appearance at the ATP Tour Finals next month, where he is hoping to emulate last year's champion and fellow youngster Alexander Zverev.
“Now I have more time to prepare for the Tour Finals. It really is a dream for me to be going there.
“It's a tournament where anything can happen, Zverev showed that there last year. It's going to be a good experience.”
It is the first time that Chardy has reached the third round at Bercy, having already come through two matches of qualifying and a first-round tie with Sam Querrey.
“To win against a guy like him (Medvedev) is a great feeling,” said the 32-year-old. “At the end there everything was shaking, but I had nothing to lose.”
Chardy will next play a last-16 clash against either 15th seed John Isner or Chile's Cristian Garin. ― AFP
