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Daniil Medvedev has got his sights set on derailing the Nick Kyrgios hype train at this year’s Adelaide International, should they meet.
The Australian tennis tyrant has had the measure of his Russian rival, beating him on four of the five occasions they’ve faced each other.
Medvedev’s sole win over Kyrgios came in front of a rowdy crowd at last year’s Australian Open.
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That encounter, decided over four sets, saw Medvedev blow his top in a post-match interview in which he lashed the courtside fans.
Medvedev admitted his suggestion that fans had a “low IQ” was “probably not smart from my part” a year after the incident.
Nevertheless, the world No.7 is eager to return to the site of the controversial scenes and repeat the result.
Since then, the pair have fought once more in a US Open spectacular that went the way of Kyrgios.
For the Moscow-born ace, he heads Down Under with plans to exact his revenge.
“The three matches we played last year were great matches,” Medvedev told The Age.
“I wanted to play better; the two ones that I lost. But Nick is a great player, [with a] great serve.
Kyrgios takes out Medvedev with ace
“I don’t feel like we have some crazy rivalry because he definitely has some more spiced-up rivalries with other players.
“I feel like when I play him, it’s a great match-up.
“I would like to play him more, to try to do better than last year, and definitely at the US Open, he was not easy to handle, so I want to try to get my revenge, if I have the chance.”
Before he gets to Kyrgios, there’s a chance Medvedev could face tennis great Novak Djokovic.
Assuming the pair get through, they could clash in the semi finals of the Adelaide International, a rematch of their Australian Open final in 2021.
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It’s a mouthwatering prospect for Medvedev, though he has only won four of their 12 contests.
“I like to play Novak because I feel like our last lot of matches we had some really great matches with great level of tennis,” said Medvedev.
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“At the same time, what motivates me is to be in the semis and if it’s Novak there, it’s great. If it’s somebody else who beats him, I don’t care much, that’s also great.
“It means that somebody is in great shape and managed to beat probably the best player in the world right now, not talking about rankings.”
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