Tennis player Medvedev hopes fame and money haven’t changed him

The ex-first racket of the world, Russian Daniil Medvedev, expressed the hope that fame and material condition did not change his human qualities.

Medvedev beat Finn Emil Ruusuvuori on Thursday in the second round of the tournament in Astana.

– Six years ago I played here at the Challenger tournament. I remember all the matches, I lost to Denis Istomin. Of course, I was disappointed. I remember that everything was very well organized, and I thought that maybe someday they will have an ATP tournament. And here is the ATP‑500 tournament, and the composition of the bracket is just crazy.

I was definitely much crazier on the court then. Many people don’t believe in it. At that moment, I wanted to win, I wanted to rise in the rankings. In life, I was quite calm, which I think I am now.

I’d like to believe that this (fame and fortune) hasn’t changed me in any way. But, probably, there are people in my environment who will say that I have changed a little. I try to be real to myself, which can sometimes be difficult for other people. It always happens in life that someone likes what you do, and someone doesn’t, ”the ATP website quotes Medvedev as saying.

Medvedev is the winner of the US Open, two-time finalist of the Australian Open. During his career, the 26-year-old Russian earned about $25 million in prize money.